MASTER 
NEGA  TIVE 

NO.  93-81652 


MICROFILMED  1993 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES/NEW  YORK 


as  part  of  the 
"Foundations  of  Western  Civilization  Preservation  Project" 


Funded  by  the 
NATIONAL  ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES 


Reproductions  may  not  be  made  without  permission  from 

Columbia  University  Library 


COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 

The  copyright  law  of  the  United  States  -  Title  17,  United 
States  Code  -  concerns  the  making  of  photocopies  or 
other  reproductions  of  copyrighted  material. 

Under  certain  conditions  specified  in  the  law,  libraries  and 
archives  are  authorized  to  furnish  a  photocopy  or  other 
reproduction.  One  of  these  specified  conditions  is  that  the 
photocopy  or  other  reproduction  is  not  to  be  "used  for  any 
purpose  other  than  private  study,  scholarship,  or 
research."  If  a  user  makes  a  request  for,  or  later  uses,  a 
photocopy  or  reproduction  for  purposes  in  excess  of  fair 
use,"  that  user  may  be  liable  for  copyright  infringement. 

This  Institution  reserves  the  right  to  refuse  to  accept  a 
copy  order  if,  in  Its  judgement,  fulfillment  of  the  order 
would  Involve  violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


A  UTHOR: 


STODDARD,  JOHN 
LAWSON 


TITLE: 


REBUILDING  A  LOST 
FAITH 


PLACE: 


NEW  YORK 


DA  TE: 


[1 9221 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DEPARTMENT 


Master  Negative  # 


BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARGET 


Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


936 
St  63 


D93b 
St63 


Restrictions  on  Use: 


Ctoddai-il,  Jchn  Lav.-uon,   1050-1931. 

llebuildinf:  v.  loct  i'aith,  by  an  Anoric.'.ii  a;niocti& 
Jolin  L.   ototkUird . .  .^^  Ilovf  edition  -  v.lth  indo::. 
new  Yorl:.  Ilonody,    {i??.?.^ 

vi ,   ?,Z^  p  .        20  en . 

♦NOTHER  COPY  IN  MCOICAL  LIBRAIW 

Copy  in  Barnard.     1 1953?! 


TECHNICAL  MICROFORM  DATA 
REDUCTION     RATIO:      //^ 


FILM     SIZE: B  5'^'^'^  _ 

IMAGE  PLACEMENT:    L\  (ilA>  IB     IIB 

DATE     FILMED: ^~  a^rj     INITIALS 

FILMED       BY: jTf^^L£AB:'I-_-_^:?_^  <, 


BIBLIOGRAPHIC  IRREGULARITIES 

MAIN 

ENTRY:  rrePPJgft,    MMu  1-iLkio.if 


Bibliographic  Irregularities  in  the  Original  Document 
List  volumes  and  pages  affected;  include  name  of  institution  if  filming  borrowed  text. 

^Page(s)  missing/not  available: 


.Volumes(s)  missing/not  available:. 


.Illegible  and/or  damaged  page(s):. 


.Page(s)  or  volumes(s)  misnumbered:. 


.Bound  out  of  sequence:. 


k^Page(s)  or  illustration(s)  filmed  from  copy  borrowed  from:  iKt,  Ui^Jw^mijL^ 
^  BiiffA/p;  V-  vij    loii'ta'9'^  lii'/SS^    iM^-i.!^  / 


Other: 


FILMED  IN  WHOLE 
OR  PART  FROM  A 

COPY  B  ORRO  WED 

FROM  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF 

BUFFALO 


c 


Association  for  information  and  Image  Management 

1100  Wayne  Avenue,  Suite  1100 
Silver  Spring,  Maryland  20910 

301/587-8202 


Centimeter 

1         2        3        4         5        6        7        8        9       10       11       12       13       14       15   mm 

iMIlllMlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllMlllllIlM 


IllllHlllllllllllUlllllllllilllllllll 


TTT 


Inches 


I 


1 


m 


T 


1.0 


LI 


1.25 


TTT 


1^    23. 

2.5 

^0 

u 

til,  ^ 

mutt. 

2.2 
2.0 

1.8 

1.4 

1.6 

TTT 


1 


MnNUFRCTURED  TO  fillM  STRNDPRDS 
BY  RPPLIED  IMRGE-  INC. 


Rebuilding  a  Lost  Faith 


REBUILDING 
A  LOST  FAITH 


BY  AN  AMERICAN  AGNOSTIC 

JOHN  L.  STODDARD 


"Into  Thy  vineyard  I  come  in  haste, 

Eleven  soiindF  f rem  iis  auriejit  tpwer,  . 
So  many  years  have  goije  :to  wiasie;,   *     •  \ 
What  can  I  do  in  a  single  hour?' 


.•j»» 


»•  •  1 «  »  • 


e  c       4       I  , 


•       •>      i 


NEW  EDITION— WITH  INDEX 


P.  /.  KENEDY  AND   SONS 

44    BARCLAY  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


It 


■ 


NIHIL  OBSTAT 

C  ScHUT,  D.D., 

Censor  Depuiatus. 


IMPRIMATUR : 

Edm.  Can.  Surmont, 

Vicarius  Generalis, 


Westmonasterii, 
Die  21  Mar  tit,  1922, 


PREFACE 

THE  world  of  literature  possesses  many  records  of  conversion 
to  Catholicism  which  are  more  startling  in  their  events, 
more  powerful  in  their  delineation  and  more  pleasing  in 
their  language  than  this  story.    Yet  the  experience  of  every  soul  is 
after  all  unique,  and  I  myself  have  gained  much  benefit  from  readmg 
the  accounts  of  those  who  have  preceded  me,  as  pilgrims  to  the  Port 
of  Peace     This  book  is  the  result  of  numerous  requests  to  write  an 
explanation  of  the  motives,  influences  and  argumente  which  brought 
me^back  to  faith  in  God,  the  Bible,  Immortality  and  the  Christian 
Relieion,  and  finally  led  me  to  enter  the  ancient.  Apostolic,  Catholic 
Church,  whose  Primate  is  the  Pope.    It  has  seemed  best  to  preface 
this  explanation  with  a  brief  account  of  my  youthful  religious  ex- 
perience, between  which  and  my  present  standpoint  there  stretches, 
like  a  desert  between  two  oases,  a  spiritual  wilderness  of  more  than 
forty  years.    Both  of  these  widely  separated  mental  states  constitute 
kindred  portions  of  my  spiritual  entity,  the  former  having  been  to 
some  extent  the  origin  of  the  latter.  ....  .  ,. 

From  a  glance  at  the  Table  of  Contents  of  this  volume  one  might 
perhaps  conclude  that  the  book  is  intended  to  be  controversial.    It 
IT  true  that  many  of  the  usual  differences  between  Catholics  and 
Protestants  are  here  discussed,  but  not  with  a  desire  for  controversy. 
As  I  formerly  took  a  more  or  less  public  stand  towards  prominent 
relieious  questions-unhappily  in  opposition  to  what  I  now  through 
God's  grace  recognise  as  truth-I  feel  myself  constrained  to  sta  e 
with  equal  frankness  my  present  religious  convictions.    As  possible 
readers,  I  have  had  in  mind  especially  such  Protestants  and  Ration- 
alists as,  like  myself,  have  grown  up  under  modern  sceptical  and 
materialUtic  conditions,  with  little  or  no  conception  of  ecclesiastical 
authority.   To  them  the  point  of  view  from  which  I  have  approached 
the  study  of  the  Catholic  Church  will  seem  familiar  and  natural, 
however  much  they  may  differ  from  me  in  my  conclusions.    To 
Catholics,  who  may  turn  these  pages,  I  would  say  in  advance,  lest 
they  be  disappointed,  that  the  results  arrived  at  by  these  arguments 
wUl  offer  to  them  nothing  new.    Yet  possibly  the  story  of  the  ar- 
duous journey  I  was  forced  to  make  to  reach  a  land,  already  so  wel 
known  to  them,  may  have  for  them  some  interest.    They  will  at  least 
appreciate  the  fact  that  I  was  moved  to  write  these  pages  by  a  desire 
to  counteract  the  evil  influence  which  my  hosUhty  to  Chr^Uamty 


IBf 


^  PREFACE 

once  exerted,  and  to  undo  to  some  extent  the  harm  produced  for 
more  than  two  score  years. 

God  can  make  use  of  even  the  humblest  instrument,  and  He  may 
deign  to  do  so  in  this  instance.  In  view  of  this  possibility  I  prayed 
that  His  Divine  blessing  might  accompany  me,  as  I  wrote. 

God  grant  that  such  has  been  the  case. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


'zn-r 


CONTENTS 


^v  oRAmm 


I. 

n. 
nr. 

IV. 
V. 

vr. 

vn. 

vm. 

DC 
X. 

XI. 

xn. 
xm. 

XIV. 
XV. 

r*   XVI. 

;Xvn. 

xvin. 
!v  XIX. 

XX. 
XXI. 


^ACK 

PRETACB V 

FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM i 

IN  THE  WILDERNESS  OF   RATIONALISM     .          .          .          .  15 

THE  AWAKENING 22 

SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT  (tHE  EXISTENCE  OF  GOD)  .          .  34 

THE  MORAL  LAW          .         .         .  * ax 

IMMORTALITY ^2 

REVELATION 5^ 

WHAT   THINK  YE  OF   CHRIST? yo 

THE   CHURCH   OF    CHRIST 'yg 

LUTHER  ,  .  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ^  ..88 

PROTESTANTISM  IN   GERMANY 105 

PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 116 

THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 130 

DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED — ^PAPAL  INFALLIBILITY        .  I45 

PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES            .          .          .          .          .  I54 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 165 

REVERENCE     SHOWN     TO     THE     BLESSED     VIRGIN,     AND 

PRAYERS   TO  HER   AND   TO   THE  SAINTS         .  .  .175 

MIRACLES,  ANaENT  AND   MODERN 185 

THE  VENERATION  OF  IMAGES  AND  RELICS         .  .  .197 

PERSECUTIONS   FOR   HERESY   BY   CATHOLICS   AND   PROT- 
ESTANTS               202 

THE  FINAL  STEP 2II 

SOME  CATHOLIC  PRIVILEGES  AND  COMPENSATIONS           .  2x6 


Rebuilding  a  Lost  Faith 


Chapter  I 

FROM  FAITH  TO  RATION AUSM 

"Nothing  would  be  done  at  all,  if  a  man  waited  till  he  could  do  it  so 
well  that  no  one  could  find  fault  with  it." — ^John  Henry  Newman. 

"In  den  Ozean  schifift  mit  tausend  Masten  der  Jiingling; 
Still,  auf  gerettetem  Boot  treibt  in  den  Hafen  der  Greis." 

Schiller, 

MY  early  training  was  extremely  religious.  Both  my  parents 
were  of  old  Puritan  stock.  Their  theology  was  Calvinistic 
and  of  the  type  denominationally  known  as  "Congrega- 
tional." Their  lives  were  not  made  gloomy  by  their  creed,  though 
they  were  certainly  serious.  Family  prayers,  morning  and  evening, 
were  observed  by  them,  followed  on  Sunday  evenings  by  the  sing- 
ing of  some  beautiful  hymns,  whose  words  and  melodies  are  still 
dear  to  me.  The  musical  accompaniment  to  these  was  furnished  by 
my  father,  and  those  sweet  Sabbath  evenings,  when  the  family  group 
assembled  thus  in  prayer  and  praise,  remain  among  the  most  touch- 
ing memories  of  my  life. 

Dear,  old-time  tunes  of  prayer  and  praise, 
Heard  first  beside  my  mother's  knee, 
Your  music  on  my  spirit  lays 
A  spell  from  which  I  should  be  free. 
If  lapse  of  time  gave  liberty. 

I  listen,  and  the  crowded  years 
Fade,  dream-like,  from  my  life,  and  lo, 
I  find  my  eyelids  wet  with  tears, 
So  much  I  loved,  so  well  I  know 
Those  plaintive  airs  of  long  ago! 

My  mother  also  used  to  talk  to  me  in  simple  }  ut  impressive  words 
about  our  Saviour,  Heaven,  and  the  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  and  after 
her  death  I  gained  through  reading  her  journals  an  insight  into  the 
spirituality  of  her  nature  and  her  intimate  life  with  Christ  in  God. 
When  I  was  twelve  years  old,  there  took  place  something  in  my 
parents*  life  which,  though  I  could  not  fully  understand  it  then,  has 
never  been  forgotten.  It  is  worth  recording  here,  as  a  proof  of  one 
of  the  results  of  Protestantism,  arising  from  its  theory  of  the  suprem- 


2  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

acy  of  individual  judgment  in  matters  of  faith  and  doctrine.    A  new 
mmister  had  been  installed  in  our  Congregational  church,  but  not 
without  duficulty.    It  was  at  that  time  customary  for  ministers  of 
the  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  Baptist  and  other  denominations, 
before  entermg  on  a  pastorate  in  any  church,  whose  members  had 
^ven  them  a  "call,"  to  pass  a  theological  examination,  not  only  in 
the  presence  of  a  select  committee  of  neighbouring  clergymen,  but 
also  before  the  deacons  and  even  the  lay  members  of  the  parish. 
Ibese  theological  inquisitors,  scarcely  two  of  whom  would  probably 
have  agreed  in  their  interpretations  of  either  Scripture  or  dogma, 
compelled  the  wretched  postulant  to  run,  for  several  hours,  a  gaunt' 
let  of  questions,  criticisms  and  "observaUons/'  whose  alleged  object 
was  to  ascertain  whether,  in  the  judgment  of  this  heterogeneous 
court,  he  was  perfectly  "sound  in  the  faith."    As  a  matter  of  course, 
some  of  the  questioners  always  were  dissatisfied  with  the  candidate's 
answers,  and  doubts  were  thus  aroused  in  the  minds  of  listening 
parishioners,  many  of  whom  were  incapable  of  weighing  the  argu- 
ments,  and  some  of  whom  were  nothing  more  than  well-meanine 
religious  eccentrics.    Thus  were  the  seeds  of  future  discontent  and 
dismtegration  inevitably  sown.    Nevertheless,  the  applicant  was  sel- 
dom  rejected.    Those  who  had  found  him  "too  Calvinistic,"  "old- 
school,"  "liberal,"  or  "lax,"  usually  gave  way  at  last  through  mo- 
tives  of  expediency,  though  not  without  some  mutterings  of  doubt 
and  ominous  predictions.     In  the  particular  case  referred  to    the 
suspicions  awakened  by  the  examination  of  Rev.  Mr.  D.  developed 
quickly  into  active  opposition.    Some  members  of  his  church,  among 
whom  were  niy  parents,  became  alarmed  at  the  way  in  which  he 
spoke  of  the  Saviour  in  his  sermons.    Just  how  he  failed  to  satisfy 
them  I  do  not  now  remember,  but  I  have  reason  to  suppose  that  he 
was  thought  to  emphasise  too  much  the  human  element  in  the  Son 
ot  U)d,  while  laying  insufficient  stress  on  His  divinity. 

At  all  events,  a  schism  in  the  church  grew  imminent.    A  formal 
protest  was  drawn  up  by  the  dissatisfied  party,  and  the  reading  of 
this  arraignment,  in  the  presence  of  the  unhappy  minister  himself, 
m  a  crowded  "Friday  evening  prayer-meeting"  I  well  remember. 
It  amounted  to  an  ultimatum  on  the  part  of  the  complainants,  who 
thought  of  course  that  they,  as  Protestants,  had  a  right  to  protest. 
At  all  events,  they  insisted  that  either  the  Rev.  Mr.  D.  must  preach  a 
different  theology  or  they  would  leave  the  church  and  found  another 
of  their  own!     Had  not  Luther  set  them  a  glorious  example?     A 
11       ^j^;?,t^ovej-sy  ensued,  which  caused  a  lamentable  scandal  among 
all  good  Christians,  and  excited  the  derision  of  the  ungodly.    FinaUy 
a  compromise  of  some  sort  was  effected,  but  the  Rev.  Mr.  D.  soon 
betook  himself  elsewhere.    Nothing  could  better  illustrate,  than  this 
little  incident,  the  natural  process  of  disintegration  which  has  been 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM  3 

going  on  in  Protestantism  for  the  last  four  centuries,— an  extraor- 
dinary process  truly,  if  Protestant  sects  are  really  representative  of 
a  Church,  which  Christ  not  only  founded,  but  with  which  He  prom- 
ised to  abide  to  the  end  of  time  I 

When  I  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  my  mother  died,  leaving  to  me 
a  blessed  memory  of  piety  and  love.    My  father,  also  eminent  in 
godliness,  died  two  years  later.    At  the  time  of  this  latter  event,  I 
was  still  at  school,  but  soon  left  for  a  neighbouring  city,  expecting 
to  pursue  a  mercantile  career.    God  willed  it  otherwise.    During 
the  following  winter,  largely  through  the  influence  of  two  sincerely 
religious  friends,  I  passed  through  the  spiritual  crisis  commonly 
known  as  "conversion."    No  special  excitement  attended  it.    There 
certainly  was  no  "revival"  in  the  neighbourhood.    But  I  have  rea- 
son to  believe  that  this  experience,  notwithstanding  my  subsequent 
apostasy,  was  the  result  of  God's  Spirit  striving  with  my  soul.  ^  I 
was  at  all  events  profoundly  moved  by  the  realisation  of  my  sin- 
fulness and  of  the  necessity  of  reconciliation  with  God,  and  I  sought 
His  forgiveness  humbly  through  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  mankind,  resolving  with  His  help  to  lead  a  Christian  life. 
When  this  great  change  had  taken  place,  an  ardent  desire  seized 
me  to  devote  myself,  as  a  minister,— preferably  as  a  missionary,— 
to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.    This  was  not  strange.    In  my 
ancestry  ministers  had  been  numerous.    One  of  my  father's  brothers 
had  recently  died  as  a  missionary  in  the  Orient;  another  was  an 
active  and  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  cause  of  foreign  missions. 
The  latter,  welcoming  my  zeal,  and  heartily  approving  my  wishes, 
agreed  to  furnish  me  with  funds  sufficient  to  obtain  a  university 
education,  and  a  few  months  later  I  for  ever  abandoned  a  mercantile 
life,  and  reopened  my  books  with  the  determination  eventually  to 
proclaim  Christ  and  Him  crucified  either  at  home  or  abroad. 

Soon  after,  with  ten  or  twelve  young  people  of  about  my  own 
age,  I  made  a  public  profession  of  my  faith,  and  was  received  into 
the  Congregational  church  of  which  my  parents  had  been  members. 
In  connection  with  this  ceremony  I  was  baptised,  as  I  had  not  re- 
ceived that  Sacrament  in  childhood.  This  is  a  point  worth  special 
consideration  here,  for,— unlike  the  original  Church  of  Christ,  which 
has  always  regarded  Baptism  as  a  necessary  Sacrament,  obligatory 
for  children  as  well  as  for  adults,— the  Protestant  sect  to  which  nay 
parents  belonged— and  there  are  many  like  it— did  not  believe  m 

Infant  Baptism. 

In  fact,  apart  from  the  tradition  of  the  Catholic  Church,  which 
Protestants  disregard,  it  is  difficult  to  find  authority  for  this  custom. 
In  Scripture  faith  is  stated  to  be  essential  to  the  rite  of  baptism, 
and  every  instance  of  baptism  mentioned  in  the  Bible  is  of  adults. 

Infant  Baptism  was,  however,  practised  very  early  in  the  Church's 


i\ 


4  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

histojy  and  the  Fathers  justified  it.    St.  Irensus,  for  example,  says: 
—  Christ  came  to  save  all,  who  through  Him  are  born  again  to 
ood,  infants  and  httle  ones,  boys,  young  men  and  the  aged"  (Iren 
u.  22,  4).    The  usual  Protestant  belief  is  that  Baptism  bestows  upon 
the  mfant  a  capacity  for  receiving  this  grace  when  it  shall  at  the 
proper  age  have  ratified  the  vows  made  for  it  by  its  sponsors.    The 
Catholic  doctrine,  on  the  contrary,  is  that  the  grace  is  bestowed  upon 
the  baptised  infant  then  and  there.    While  many  Protestants,  prin- 
cipaUy  Anglicans  and  Episcopalians,  adopt  this  custom,  fully  as 
many  reject  it.    Some  even  consider  Baptism  to  be  no  Sacrament  at 
aJl,  but  merely  a  rite,  connected  with  admission  into  the  Church  1 
Others,  although  the  institution  was  indubitably  established  by  the 
bon  of  God,  have  actually  condemned  it  as  sinful!     Great  numbers 
of  Protestants  have,  therefore,  never  been  baptised. 
•     It  is  difficult  for  me  now  to  understand  how  devout  Christians 
Lke  my  parents,  could  have  failed  to  recognise  Baptism  as  an  indis- 
pensable Sacrament,-that  is,  an  outward  sign  of  an  inward  and 
spmtual  grace,  instituted  by  Christ  Himself;  for  few  of  our  Saviour's 
words  are  so  emphatic  as  the  folIowing:-"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee.  Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God."   He  likewise  commissioned  His  Aposties 
to  each  all  nations,  "baptising  them  in  the  name  of  the  Fatiier.  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

As  for  my  youtiiful  associates  and  myself,  I  am  sure  that  we  re- 
garded our  Baptism  merely  as  a  solemn  ceremony,  and  had  no  notion 
whatever  of  tiie  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  and  Anglican  Churches - 
that  tt  confers  on  the  adult  a  special  sanctifying  grace,  remits  his 
sms,  and  makes  upon  Ms  soul  an  indelible  mark,  or  "character  " 
Yet  of  the  truth  that  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  is  primarily  intended 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  we  have  abundant  evidence:  for  St  Peter 
as  recorded  in  Acts  ii.  38,  distinctiy  says:-"Be  baptised,  ev^ry  one 

ri'  'xT-  ^  "^^^  °^  J*'"^  ^^"'t'  ^°'"  *•>«  remission  of  your  sins"; 
and  the  Nicene  Creed  states  also:-«I  confess  one  Baptism  for  the 
remmwn  of  srns."  But  of  this  and  many  other  doctrinal  points  we 
youthful  neophytes  knew  practically  nothing,  for  our  instruction  in 
such  matters  had  been  very  superficial. 

In  fact,  ignorance  of  the  fundamental  dogmas  of  Christianity  is 
the  rule,  rather  tiian  the  exception,  among  Non-Conformists.  Al- 
though my  parents  had  brought  me  up  religiously,  I  personally  never 
had  rweived  the  least  instruction  in  the  catechism,  and  I  doubt  if 
any  of  my  companions  were  better  informed  than  myself.  What 
we  knew  of  the  creed  of  our  Church  we  had  "absorbed"  from  ser- 
mons family  prayers  and  Sunday-school  lessons.  Nor  were  we  as 
postulants,  asked  any  questions  about  doctrines  I  As  I  remem'ber 
the  scene,  each  one  of  us  in  turn  was  requested  to  rdate  his  or  her 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM  5 

"experience,"  which  naturally  was  a  story  of  religious  sentiment. 
We  merely  took  for  granted  the  truth  of  the  creed,  zs  we  found  it 
given  in  the  constitution  of  that  particular  chur.';  in  which  we 
pledged  ourselves  to  Christ  and  to  His  service. 

The  university  years  that  followed  were  chavacterised  by  nothing 
specially  worth  recording.  Surrounded  by  religious  influences,  it 
was  not  difficult  for  the  professedly  Christian  students  of  my  college 
to  lead  at  least  a  nominal  Christian  life.  This  in  my  own  case  was 
distinguished  neither  by  apathy  on  the  one  hand,  nor  special  spiritu- 
ality on  the  other.  No  serious  doubts  disturbed  me,  and  I  looked 
forward  to  tiie  ministry  as  my  career,  though  my  original  wish  to 
be  a  missionary  to  the  heathen  had  considerably  dimimshed.  Ac- 
cordingly, without  remarkable  enthusiasm,  yet  equally  without  mis- 
givings or  regrets,  I  entered,  in  my  twenty-second  year,  the  theo- 
logical seminary  of . 

My  fellow  "theologues"  were  for  the  most  part  men  of  exceUent 
character,  though  of  moderate  mentality.    As  scholars  and  as  speak- 
ers most  of  them  were  evidently  doomed  to  mediocrity.    So  true  was 
thi^  of  some  of  them,  that  I  often  wondered  whether  they  would 
ever  have  adopted  this  profession  if  it  had  not  been  made  so  easy 
for  them.    The  seminary  was  richly  endowed,  and  offered  gratis  to 
such  students  as  applied  for  aid,  not  only  free  instruction,  but  also 
comfortable  rooms  and  board.    Moreover,  after  their  second  year  of 
study  tiiey  always  could  earn  money  by  preaching  to  congregations 
temporarily  without  pastors.    Under  such  circumstances,  men  who 
are  graduating  from  college  without  money,  and  who  for  the  first 
time  face  the  world's  fierce  struggle  for  existence,  are  easily  induced 
to  enter  the  ministry.    In  such  cases  it  is  a  great  temptation  to 
choose  the  line  of  least  resistance,  and  this,  if  it  be  the  Protestant 
ministry,  leads  almost  certainly  to  an  assured  livelihood.    In  Amer- 
ica it  is  true,  the  Protestant  clerical  profession  is,  as  a  rule,  mis- 
erably paid   (see  Chapter  XII.),  and  in  small  country  parishes 
ministers  have  often  to  endure  real  hardships;  yet,  if  a  youthfid 
graduate  from  a  theological  seminary  possesses  pleasing  manners  and 
average  ability,  he  will  have  littie  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  pastorate, 
in  which  no  great  amount  of  learning  and  oratorical  skill  is  neces- 
sary.  Especially,  if  he  becomes  an  Anglican,  or  in  America  an  1-pis- 
copalian,  clergyman,  he  can  usually  make  a  desirable  marriage  and 
enjoy  a  good  social  standing,  irrespective  of  his  intellectuality. 

One  of  the  studies  of  the  first  year  at  this  seminary  was  Hebrew, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  pitiful  efforts  made  by  some  of  my 
associates  to  master  the  difficulties  of  that  language.  The  poor 
fellow  at  the  desk  adjoining  mine  was  frequently  the  picture  of 
despair,  when  asked  to  conjugate  a  Hebrew  verb,  or  to  translate  a 
Une  of  Genesis.    Perhaps  a  tiiird  of  tiie  class  derived  some  benefit 


6  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

'^,TS\^^,  iTa-rLSf  s^rr/s  ■".*•  ?*■»■■ 

The  study  of  the  New  Testament  in  Gr^Pt  xvJ  ^r 
beneficia;,  for  all  of  us  had  read  SZSli  ^:kl:Z^'Zl 

tir!v!c    •    Sr  !  ""^  flounder  in  translation,  as  frequently  was 

cLT  T.^t"^:    ^'  '°^^^^t  •''  the  studV  of  the  wSs^ 
Christ  and  the  Apostles  was  also  naturally  much  greater  thanTnth^t 
of  the  remoter  and  more  difficult  writings  of  tfe  OW  Tes^ml^. 
Moreover,  in  our  professor  of  New  TestamP„f  »L!;    •  ^*^^™"'- 

clever,  stimulating  teacher     Yet  it  Vc^  ^  f  ^  ^^"  ""^  ^''^  * 
this  Jnrlv  fhot  "V      ?  **  '*  ^^^  precisely  m  connection  with 

this  study  that  I  found  my  greatest  theological  difficulties 

h  Jt    '°P^.^^  """,  ^'^  '^^^'^'"^'^t  •"  Greek  which  I  used  as  a  text 

AU   '^''^^  ''\^^'"^'''«  «'^'t'°«  •^O'^Pi'ed  by  the  cefebrated  d!?; 
Alford.    This  had,  as  a  rule  at  tl,»  t^r^  „f  ceieorated  Dean 

lines  of  Greek  wh  le  muc^  nf  f>,»       ^  ?   ^^^^^  ^^^^  t'""  °'  three 
ui  "recK,  wnue  much  of  the  remaining  space  was  fillpH  .«  ««- 

C  ^'i'.;=°'"°'«''t^  «>^  the  textual  variftionsoTl^o^f lines   L 

writers Hompr   Plof/^   r^;  TT         '"dnuscnpts  of  the  classical 

which  takes  us  nearer  to  the  tim^  nf  rhr\^^  *\.  ^^ospei 

of  Queen  Elizabeth.    The  dLp^lce  " f,?"''  ^f  T  '°  '^'  "«'' 
of  the  New  Testament  i.^T^  ^  °"°'"^'  manuscripts 

Emperors,  like  Diocletian,  ordered  thJtTobUiSrrHVT' 
manuscripts  should  be  burned.  Of  the  ^ieSrches  o  ihl  •  'u^ 
matter,  and  of  their  wav<;  nf  h.iA-    ^^^'^^'^^^  "t  scholars  m  this 

?sxr' '" "  ""-^  ^ittlts.  Lis;!" 

different  readings'     I  havp  ^'nr^       f  "°  ^^^  ^^"  '^^^^^ 

xtatjiiig^.     1  nave  since  learned  not  to  t^xaaat^ra^^  ♦!,««• 
nificance  of  this  farf   fnr  ;«  •«  i%    .i  exaggerate  the  sig- 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM  7 

of  their  genuineness.  Many  of  these  textual  differences  probably 
occurred  through  the  carelessness  of  copyists,  others  were  caused  by 
the  creeping  into  the  text  of  footnotes  made  by  previous  tran- 
scribers, while  others  still  may  have  been  made  intentionally  by 
conscientious  men,  who  thought  that  they  could  thus  improve  the 
older  text,  or  at  least  explain  its  meaning.  Mistakes  could  also 
easily  be  made  because  the  Scriptures  of  the  first  ten  centuries  after 
Christ  were  written  in  large  capital  ("uncial")  characters,  without 
Greek  accents  or  punctuation,  and  even  without  division  between 

the  wordsl  t.     u    * 

More  serious,  however,  seemed  to  me  the  absence  from  the  oldest 
manuscripts  of  some  entire  passages  found  in  the  later  ones.    Such 
paragraphs  were,  in  my  edition  of  the  Greek  New  Testament, 
enclosed  in  brackets,  to  indicate  that,— being  found  only  in  later 
manuscripts,— they  were  considered  less  authentic.    In  such  cases 
the  oldest  existing  manuscripts,— the  "Sinaitic,"   formerly  in  St. 
Petersburg;   the  "Vaticanus,"  now  in  Rome;   and  the  "Alexan- 
drinus,"  in  the  British  Museum,— are  usually  regarded  as  the  most 
authoritative,  but  not  invariably;  for  if  many  of  the  later  manu- 
scripts contain  a  reading,  which  the  eariier  ones  lack,  their  united,— 
even  if  more  recent,— testimony  is  sometimes  thought  to  be  more 
decisive  than  the  negative  attitude  of  the  older  codices.    What  the 
precise  text  of  the  lost  originals  was,  we  have  no  way  now  of  deter- 
mining, save  as  we  find  quotations  from  them  in  the  writings  of  the 
old  Church  Fathers  and  their  pagan  critics.    But  such  omissions  do 
not  necessarily  prove  that  the  passages  are  of  an  origin  later  than 
the  early  Gospels.    They  may  have  been  intentionally  omitted  for 
some  specific  reason  connected  with  the  particular  church  for  which 
the  copy  had  been  made;  for  at  certain  epochs  and  in  certain  places 
it  seems  to  have  been  thought  best  by  the  Bishops  (owing  perhaps 
to  the  unusual  prevalence  in  that  city  of  some  special  heresy) ,  that 
certain  passages,  liable  to  be  misunderstood  by  the  local  church 
members,  should  be  omitted  from  the  manuscript  ordered  for  that 

community.* 

Copies  of  the  Books  of  the  New  Testament  were  not  mvanably 
made  then  on  the  theory  that  every  word  of  the  original  manuscripts 
must  be  reproduced.  They  were  transcribed  for  definite  purposes. 
During  the  first  one  hundred  and  seventy  years  after  the  birth  of 
Christ,  although  those  Books  were  certainly  regarded  as  sacred  and 
inspired,  the  Apostolic  oral  tradition  was  still  so  fresh,  that  written 
authority  was  less  frequently  appealed  to. 

♦Similarly,  the  Gothic  Bishop,  Vulpilas  (4-a.d.,  381),  in  his  translation 
of  the  Old  Testament,  in  the  Codex  Argenteus,  intentionally  omitted  the 
Books  of  Kings,  in  order  not  to  make  his  own  warlike  Gothic  people  still 
more  predatory  through  reading  of  the  martial  exploits  of  David. 


8 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Practical  difficulties  also  contributed  to  the  omission  of  certain 
portions  of  the  text.  The  manuscripts  were  always  in  the  form  of 
narrow  rolls,  which,— being  of  necessity  unrolled  to  be  read  and 
rolled  again  to  be  put  away,— were  liable  to  be  injured.  They  were 
moreover,  of  a  uniform  length  for  convenience  in  handling,  and 
sometimes,  to  avoid  having  too  long  a  roll,  or  to  economise  the  ex- 
pense  of  another  "Book,"  a  sentence  might  be  altogether  omitted. 
I  mention  these  difficulties,  because,  as  a  Protestant,  I  was  much 
more  disturbed  by  them  than  a  Catholic  would  have  been. 

Catholics    as  a  rule,  attach  comparatively  litUe  importance  to 
these  textual  discrepancies,  for  their  theological  system  is  built  up 
not  frona  dead  manuscripts  alone,  but  from  the  history  of  the  doc- 
trines, the  traditions  of  the  Fathers,  and  the  infallible  voice  of  the 
Living  Church,     Protestants,  on  the  other  hand,  who  base  their 
dogmas  merely  on  conflicting  texts,  who  have  no  other  standard 
than  the  silent  Book,  and  who  acknowledge  no  authority  but  pri- 
vate  judgment,  are  very  seriously  embarrassed  by  these  differences 
since  many  of  their  doctrines  find  their  confirmation  or  refutation  in 
the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  a  certain  reading.    Accordingly,  it 
finally  dawned  upon  me  that  the  Bible  alone,  without  a  competent    . 
tnterpeter,  cannot  explain  all  that  is  necessary  for  religion-  but    ^ 
where  was  I  to  find  in  Protestantism  a  competent  authority  which     ' 
had  the  right  to  settle  questions  about  doctrinal  interpretation  and 
textual  authenticity?    Individual  opinions  were  as  numerous  among 
Protestants  as  the  discrepancies  themselves.     Even  my  Professor 
could  grve  me  merely  his  private  "view''  as  to  which  of  a  number 
of  conflicting  readings  was  the  right  one,  but  this  and  his  idea  of 
what  dogmatic  conclusion  should  be  drawn  from  it  had  no  authority 

in  ^S'^^T'L^K,'"^  intellectual  chaos.  The  Anglican  Dean  Farrar, 
m  his  The  Bible;  its  Meaning  and  Supremacy''  (pp.  118-20) 
states  unmistakably  that  in  order  to  ascertain  what  the  word  of 
God,  contained  m  Scripture,  really  is,  Wfi  must  find  out  for  ourselves, 
and  choose  what  satisfies  our  reason;  for  our  own  private  judgment  is 
our  final  court  of  appeal,  to  know  how  much  of  the  Bible  we  can 
accept.  But,  if  the  Bible  be  a  Revelation  from  God,  how  can  it  be 
interpreted  by  every  individual  to  suit  himself?  Of  what  value  is  a 
heavenly  Manual  which  we  may  mutilate  at  will? 

While  I  was  thus  floundering  in  my  exegetical  and  theological 
difficulties,  a  work  which  deeply  interested  me  was  the  "Exan^na- 
tion  of  Canon  Liddon's  Lectures  on  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  Jesus  Chnst."  The  author  of  this  volume  announces  himself 
anonymously  as  "A  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England,"  and  this 
fact  proves  what  I  shall  soon  again  refer  to,-that  Anglican  clergy- 
men  differ  so  widely  m  their  doctrinal  beliefs,  that  they  promulgate 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM  9 

nearly  every  variety  of  Christian  dogma.    The  book  is,  in  fact,  an 
adverse  criticism  of  the  Biblical  arguments  brought  forward  by 
I  Canon  Liddon  to  prove  the  Divinity  of  Christ;  and  its  author  argues 
jthat  it  is  impossible  for  an  unprejudiced  reader  of  the  Bible  to  de- 
\duce  from  that  source  only  the  doctrine  of  Christ* s  co-equal  deity! 
|"The  really  Scriptural  position,"  he  declares,  "is  that  Christ  fills,  in 
the  scale  of  being,  a  place  not  perfectly  defined,  but  certainly  above 
I  man,  and  as  certainly  beneath  God''  (p.  307).    "If,"  he  asserts, 
"that  doctrine  be  from  God,  facts  of  the  plainest  character  appear  to 
compel  the  admission  that  He  has  seen  fit  to  promulgate  it,  not 
through  the  Sacred  Volume,  but  through  the  living  voice  of  a  divinely 
organised  and  divinely  inspired  Church"  (p.  34).    In  other  words, 
this  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  attempts  through  more 
than  four  hundred  pages  to  prove  that  St.  Paul  disbelieved  in  the 
Divinity  of  Christ,  although  assigning  to  Him  a  position  higher  than 
that  of  all  other  creatures.    The  fact  that  such  a  conclusion  could  be 
reached  by  a  Christian  clergyman  by  means  of  a  critical  study  of  the 
text  of  the  New  Testament,  and  that  such  ideas  could  be  held  and 
published  by  a  regularly  ordained  priest  of  the  Church  of  England, 
gave  the  last  blow  to  my  already  tottering  faith  in  the  infallible  text 
of  Scripture,  as  interpreted  by  private  judgment.    Certainly  some- 
thing more  was  needed  than  a  silent  Book,  if  from  its  pages  one 
clergyman  of  the  Anglican  Church  can  be  led  to  "affirm  with  unhesi- 
tating confidence  that  Christ  is  not  Very  God,"  while  another  clergy- 
man of  the  same  Church  asserts  his  firm  belief  that  He  is  Very  God! 
I  felt  that  some  supreme  and  living  authority  must  be  found  to 
settle  these  vexed  questions,  unless  the  Church  of  Christ  were  to 
dissolve  and  perish.    When  able  students  of  the  Bible  come  to  such 
diametrically  opposite  interpretations  of  it,  it  is  evident  that  this 
volume,  precious  as  it  is,  is  not  so  simple  a  book  that  everyone, 
learned  or  unlearned,  can  readily  understand  its  meaning.    St.  Peter, 
in  fact,  says  expressly  that  in  St.  Paul's  Epistles  there  are  some  things 
"hard  to  be  understood,  which  they  that  are  unlearned  and  unstable 
wrest,  as  they  do  also  the  other  Scriptures,  unto  their  own  destruc- 
tion" (2  Pet.  iii.  16).    The  Bible,  therefore,  in  and  of  itself  can 
never  take  the  place  of  a  living  and  infallible  teacher.    It  remains 
silent  under  all  the  tortures  inflicted  on  its  texts.  ^  The  voiceless 
book  and  complicated  manuscripts  cannot  alone  decide  the  matters 
which  disturb  the  soul. 

Suddenly,  as  my  heart  cried  out  thus  for  a  divinely  appointed 
interpreter  of  God's  Revelation,  I  realised  for  the  first  time  that 
Christ  Himself  neither  wrote  a  book,  nor  dictated  a  line  of  one  to/ 
any  of  His  disciples.  What  He  had  done  was  to  found  a  Church, 
which  He  had  promised  always  to  remain  with  and  to  guide.  If  He 
had  wished  that  His  religion  should  be  propagated  and  preserved  by 


lO 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


2l  book  only,  why  should  He  not  have  written  one?  The  truth  is  that 
Christianity  preceded  the  New  Testament.  The  Gospels  and  Epistles 
were  written  for  the  benefit  of  a  Church  which  already  existed. 
The  Gospels  were  not  composed  until  sixty  years  after  the  death  of 
Christ,  nor  was  the  Canon  definitely  established  till  the  Council  of 
Carthage,  a.d.  397.  Hundreds  of  Christians  never  saw  the  Books 
of  the  New  Testament;  and  before  a  line  of  them  had  been  traced, 
**Christ  and  Him  crucified"  had  been  preached  to  thousands,  many 
churches  had  been  founded,  and  converts  innumerable  had  been 
made  among  both  Jews  and  GentOes. 

Why,  then,  did  I  not  see  that  the  original  Catholic  Church  was 
precisely  the  divinely  instituted  Teacher  and  supreme  Authority 
which  I  was  seeking  for?  Because,  like  millions  of  otherwise  well- 
educated  Protestants  I  knew  then  practically  nothing  of  that  Church, 
save  what  intolerant  abuse  or  unfair  criticism  had  given  me.  It  is 
nothing  short  of  amazing  that  Protestants,  as  a  rule,  not  only  know 
so  little  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  that  they  wish  to  know  so  little 
of  it.  It  is  deplorable  that,  although  so  many  books  explanatory  of 
Catholicism  are  written  and  published,  most  Protestants  refuse  to 
open  them,  or  even  to  hear  a  sermon  from  a  Catholic  preacher! 
Occasionally  they  ask  a  Catholic: — ^**What  is  the  present  religious 
belief  of  the  Catholic  Church?"  not  realising  that,  although  one 
may  appropriately  ask  about  the  "present  religious  belief"  of  the 
ever-changing  Protestant  sects,  one  cannot  do  so  in  regard  to  the 
Catholic  Church,  jor  her  belief  does  not  change,  since  she  preserves 
inviolate  the  ancient  teaching  given  her  by  Christ  and  the  Apostles, 
which  through  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Ghost  has  been  retained  and  .. 
guarded  by  her  from  the  beginning.  H 

Little  of  this  did  I,  as  a  callow  theological  student  in  a  Protestant 
seminary,  know.  Nevertheless,  I  felt  compelled  to  go  to  someone 
for  advice,  and  naturally  turned  to  one  of  my  Professors.  He  listened 
to  me  with  probably  as  much  sympathy  as  such  a  scholarly  recluse 
could  feel.  He  seemed,  however,  to  think  my  case  a  serious  one, 
particularly  as  my  doubts  were  shared  by  one  at  least  of  my  class- 
mates. To  obviate  our  difficulties,  therefore,  he  kindly  volunteered 
to  give  our  class  some  lectures  of  his  own  upon  the  proofs  of  Christ's 
Divinity.  This  he  soon  did,  and  I  well  remember  the  significant 
looks  and  ironical  laughter  indulged  in  by  our  fellow-students,  as 
certain  remarks  and  arguments  of  the  lecturer  were  thought  by 
them  to  disconcert  and  put  to  rout  my  comrade  and  myself.  These 
lectures  did  not,  however,  remove  my  exegetical  troubles,  and  others 
were  soon  added  to  them. 

Once  more  I  sought  the  aid  of  my  instructor,  but  this  time,  if  I  had 
expected  from  him  bread,  I  received  only  a  stone.  I  recollect  in 
particular  asking  him  how  he  met  the  scientific  difficulties  connected 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM 


II 


with  the  Star  of  Bethlehem.  Why,  for  example,  should  God  have 
sanctioned  a  pseudo-science  like  astrology?  And,  since  we  know 
that  every  visible  star  is  either  one  of  our  planets  or  else  a  mighty 
sun  separated  from  us  by  an  inconceivable  distance,  how  was  it 
possible  to  believe  that  a  stupendous  mass  of  matter,  probably  larger 
than  our  own  great  luminary,  could  come  within  even  a  hundred 
million  miles  of  our  solar  system  without  wrecking  it  completely? 
Moreover,  how  could  such  a  gigantic  body  indicate  with  precision 
any  portion  of  our  tiny  earth? 

It  would  have  been  easy  for  the  learned  man  to  have  pointed 
out  to  me  the  fact  that  the  great  astronomer,  Kepler,  had  found  a 
confirmation  of  the  Gospel  story  in  the  condition  of  the  stellar  firma- 
ment in  the  seventh  year  before  the  Christian  era,  as  we  reckon  it, 
—the  year  accepted  now  by  many  scholars  as  the  probable  date  of 
the  Nativity.    It  certainly  is  most  remarkable  that  in  that  year,— 
repeated  three  times,  in  the  months  of  May,  October  and  December, 
—there  occurred  a  conjunction  of  the  planets  Jupiter  and  Saturn 
in  the  same  constellation,  and,— more  extraordinary  still,— that  a 
conjunction  of  those  two  satellites  with  the  planet  Mars  took  place 
in  the  same  year,— a  marvellous  phenomenon,  which  occurs  only 
once  in  794  years!  (see  "Encyclopaedia  Britannica,"  vol.  xxvu.,  p.  80, 
and  vol.  xiii.,  p.  66 1 ) .   This  was  an  incident  sure  to  excite  the  amaze- 
ment of  Chaldean  astronomers,  since  such  an  event  would,  according 
to  the  tenets  of  astrology,  foreteU  terrestrial  happenings  of  supreme 
importance.    Even  if  this  had  been  unknown  to  my  Professor,  he 
could  have  cited,  as  a  possible  explanation  of  the  Star  of  Bethlehem, 
the  well-authenticated  instances  of  new  stars  suddenly  appearing 
in  the  heavens,  and,  after  blazing  for  a  time  with  variable  splendour, 
vanishing  again  from  sight.    As  for  God's  making  use  of  such  a 
phenomenon  nineteen  centuries  ago,  in  connection  with^  the  then 
prevailing  notion  that  such  sidereal  occurrences  are  associated  with 
our  human  destinies,  the  worthy  Doctor  of  Divinity  might  surely 
have  reminded  me  that  in  God's  manifestations  to  mankmd  He 
often  uses  methods  suited  to  men's  limited  comprehensions  and  to 
the  views  and  customs  then  prevailing;  and  if  I  had  objected  that 
the  moment  of  the  actual  blazing  up  of  the  "new  star"  was  probably 
several  centuries  previous  to  men's  perception  of  it,  because  its 
waves  of  light,  though  traversing  the  awful  void  at  inconceivable 
speed,  could  then  first  reach  our  distant  orb,  he  could  have  answered, 
"What  difficulty  does  such  a  preparation  for  the  Nativity  present 
to  the  Creator  of  this  universe,  to  whom  time  is  but  one  eternal 

Now?" 

But  nothing  of  all  this  did  the  Professor  deem  it  worth  his  while 
to  mention.  He  merely  smiled  a  trifle  enigmatically,  and  gave  me 
the  advice  to  make  as  little  reference  in  my  sermons  to  that  point 


FROM  FAITH  TO  RATIONALISM 


13 


12 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


as  possible!  This  staggered  me.  Could  it  be  true  that  in  Christian 
theology  there  was  an  esoteric  and  an  exoteric  system,  and  must 
its  teachers  laugh,  like  Roman  augurs,  when  they  met  professionally? 
Some  of  my  readers  may  object  that  the  case  I  mention  was 
exceptional.  I  do  not  affirm  the  contrary.  I  merely  tell  my  own 
experience. 

Under  these  circumstances,  therefore,  it  is  not  surprising  that,  a 
few  months  later,  a  member  of  the  faculty  called  upon  me  and,  with 

a  manner  that  betrayed  embarrassment,  remarked: — ^'^Mr.  , 

you  know  we  are  approaching  the  time  when  the  students  of  your 
class  will  present  themselves  before  the  Board  of  Examiners  as  candi- 
dates for  ordination.  Now,  just  between  ourselves,  I  want  to  advise 
you  and  your  friend  X  not  to  appear  there.  Intellectually,  both  of 
you  are  qualified  to  stand  the  test;  and,  morally,  to  the  best  of  my 
knowledge,  you  are  both  irreproachable.  But"  (he  cleared  his 
throat,  and  smiled)  "you  know  there  are  some  *hard  heads'  on  that 
Board,  who  would  scent  heterodoxy  in  a  moment,  if  you  and  X 
began  to  answer  honestly  their  questions  upon  certain  points.  An 
uproar  would  ensue.  Your  licences  to  preach  would  be  refused. 
Worse  still, — for  us, — the  matter  would  be  mentioned  and  exag- 
gerated in  the  newspapers,  and  the  seminary  would  acquire  a  reputa- 
tion for  heresy." 

This  was  a  blow  the  effect  of  which  he  evidently  perceived,  for  he 

continued  with  a  confidential  smile: — ^"But  after  all,  Mr. ,  why 

do  you  specially  want  to  preach?  You  are  much  better  fitted  to  be 
a  Professor.  Why  not  go  abroad  and  spend  a  year  or  two  in  study? 
Then  you  could  very  well  return,  and  be  yourself  •  .  •  a  Professor  of 
Exegesis!    That  is  what  you  ought  to  do." 

When  he  had  left,  I  paced  my  room  in  agitation.  After  all  these 
years  of  preparation,  must  I  now  turn  back  at  the  very  threshold 
of  the  Christian  ministry, — not  because  I  was  incompetent  as  a 
scholar,  nor  on  account  of  any  perceived  defect  in  either  my  morality 
or  spirituality,  but  merely  because  my  theological  difficulties  on 
certain  points, — ^largely  dependent  on  disputed  texts  of  Scripture, — 
might,  if  disclosed  to  the  Board  of  Examiners  and  the  public, 
scandalise  the  seminary?  Yet  I  was  sure  that,  if  my  instructor  were 
himself  obliged  to  pass  a  similar  examination,  and  to  answer  certain 
questions  truthfully,  he  also  would  be  liable  to  the  charge  of  heresy. 
I  felt  instinctively  that  he  shared  my  doubts.  At  all  events,  he  made 
no  effort  to  dispel  them,  nor  did  he  tell  me  what  he  did  believe.  He 
merely  expressed  the  wish  that  I  should  not  inform  the  public  of 
my  scruples! 

About  this  time  I  had  a  confidential  conversation  with  a  young 
minister  of  my  acquaintance.  He  told  me  he  was  most  unhappy. 
Doubts  similar  to  mine  had  assailed  him  also  during  his  course  of 


study,  but  he  had  kept  them  to  himself,  had  somehow  managed  to 
pass  the  examination  for  ordination,  and  now  was  bitterly  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  preaching  much  that  he  did  not  believe!    I 
never  shall  forget  his  mournful  words.    "Old  friend,"  he  said,  "it  is 
too  late  for  me  to  act  as  you  can  do.    I  have  worked  all  these  years 
to  be  a  minister,  and  orthodoxy  owes  me  now  a  living.    Moreover,  I 
am  married,  and  have  setUed  down  in  a  parish.    To  tell  my  people 
and  the  world  that  I  no  longer  believe  the  doctrines  I  proclaim 
would  bring  down  ruin  on  myself  and  family.    I  simply  cannot  do  it. 
I  therefore  steer  around  the  dangerous  points,  and  get  along  as  best 
I  can.    The  people  want  a  certain  amount  of  emotional  religious 
treacle  given  them  once  a  week,  and  I  am  paid  to  furnish  it.    I 
therefore  serve  it  out  to  them,  mixed  with  such  ethical  ingredients 
and  literary  spice  as  I  am  capable  of  producing."    This  frank  avowal 
of  my  friend  not  only  shocked  and  saddened  me,  but  filled  me  with 
alarm,  lest  possibly  such  a  fate  might  yet  be  mine  were  I  not  true  to 

my  convictions.  . 

Fortunately  for  me,  at  this  very  time  there  occurred,  m  the 
providence  of  God,  a  sudden  change  in  my  circumstances,  which 
enabled  me  to  suspend  temporarily  my  theological  studies,  and  to 
enter  upon  a  career  of  teaching.  At  the  end  of  a  year,  being  still 
undecided  in  my  views,  and  conscientiously  unwilling  to  return  to 
the  seminary,  I  resolved  to  make  a  tour  of  the  Continent  and  the 
nearer  Orient,  hoping  to  find  from  a  new  point  of  view  some  light 
as  to  the  ultimate  path  I  should  pursue.  This  year  of  travel  did  not, 
however,  smooth  away  my  theological  difficulties,  and  I  was  forced 
to  ask  myself,  whether  I  should  adopt  the  profession  of  teaching 
permanently,  or  finish  my  theological  studies  in  another  way,  and 
become  a  Unitarian  minister. 

Upon  the  latter  point  I   determined   to  consult   an  eminent 
Unitarian  clergyman,  settled  over  a  wealthy,  fashionable  church  in 
the  metropolis.   After  hearing  my  story  to  the  end,  he  frankly  said  ta 
me:— "My  advice  to  you  is  not  to  become  a  minister  of  this  denomi- 
nation.   What  can  a  young  man  now  expect  from  the  Unitarian 
Church?    It  is  moribund.    It  has  no  future.    This  is  not  the  form 
of  Christianity  that  is  going  to  survive.    I  am  an  old  man,  and  shall 
remain  where  I  am,  but  you  had  better  keep  out  of  Unitarianism." 
Nearly  half  a  century  has  passed  since  those  words  were  addressed 
to  me,  but  they  still  echo  in  my  heart.    I  left  that  clergyman's 
house  and  kindly  presence  profoundly  disillusioned.    I  called  to  mind 
the  wish  expressed  by  Thomas  Jefferson  in  1822:— "I  trust  there  is 
not  a  young  man  now  born  in  the  United  States  who  will  not^  die  a 
Unitarian!"     "Truly,"  I  said  to  myself,  "that  ardent  desire  of 
the  great  American  does  not  seem  likely  to  be  realised.    On  the 
contrary,  this  refined  modern  Arianism,  like  many  other  forms  into 


X4 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


which  Protestantism  has  dissolved,  is  only  one  of  numerous  intel- 
lectual halting-places  between  Rome  and  Rationalism.  It  is  evident 
that  I  must  choose  one  or  other  of  these  two  extremes." 

"Rome"  seemed  to  me  then,  however,  hardly  worth  considering; 
for  I  again  confess  with  shame  that  up  to  that  time  I  had  never 
opened  a  Catholic  book,  and  knew  of  the  Catholic  Church  only 
what  reading  on  the  Protestant  side  had  taught  me.  Nevertheless, 
I  thought  that  so-called  "knowledge"  quite  sufficient! 

Though  fairly  well  educated  in  matters  of  Church  history  and 
theology, — ^according  to  the  superficial  standards  of  my  seminary, — 
I,  like  most  Protestants  (the  High  Church  Anglicans  perhaps  ex- 
cepted), took  it  for  granted  that  all  the  calumnies  which  I  had  read 
of  "Rome"  were  true,  and  therefore  I  concluded  that  conditions 
which  I  had  found  unbearable  in  Protestantism  would  be  much 
worse  in  Catholicism. 

Accordingly,  although  it  was  a  matter  on  which  my  soul's  eternal 
welfare  might  depend,  so  great  were  both  my  ignorance  and  arro- 
gance, that  I  made  no  attempt  to  investigate  the  claims  and  doctrines 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  chose  deliberately  Rationalism,  whose 
ardent  advocate  I  then  remained  for  forty  years. 


Chapter  II 

m  THE  WILDERNESS  OP  RATIONALISM 

"And  that  inverted  Bowl  they  call  the  Sky, 

Whereunder,  crawling,  cooped  we  live  and  die. 

Lift  not  your  hands  to  It  for  help,  for  It 

As  impotently  rolls  as  you  or  I."  , 

Omar  Khayyam. 

"Some  day  when  Atheism  has  been  tried  and  found  wanting,  it 
rSociety]  will  look  around  for  a  fixed  point  in  the  social  chaos,  and 
will  find  nothing  but  the  Catholic  Church."— T/ie  Unworthy  Pact,  p. 

243. 

"Notre  intelligence  tient  dans  I'ordre  des  choses  intelligibles  le  meme 
rang,  que  notre  corps  dans  Tetendue  de  la  nature." — Pascal, 

RATIONALISM  did  not  mean  for  me  Indifferentism.  The 
world  was  then  in  intellectual  ferment.  Those  were  the  days 
of  Bishop  Colenso  in  South  Africa,  of  James  Martineau  in 
England,  of  Emerson  in  Concord.  The  scientific  and  religious  ele- 
ments of  the  country  stood  "at  daggers  drawn."  Mankind  was 
quivering  under  the  impressions  made  upon  it  by  Darwin  in  his 
"Origin  of  Species"  and  "Descent  of  Man,"  by  Spencer  in  his  "First 
Principles,"  and  by  Huxley  in  his  daring  exposition  of  Agnosticism. 
These  formed  the  great  triumvirate  of  the  new  theology.  Lesser 
luminaries,  with  whom  I  came  into  closer  contact  through  sermons, 
lectures,  books  and  conversation,  were  Moncure  D.  Conway, 
Octavius  Frothingham,  Francis  E.  Abbott,  editor  of  the  Boston 
Index,  Minot  J.  Savage,  the  radical  Unitarian  minister,  also  of 
Boston,  and,  finally,  the  mocking,  eloquent  iconoclast,  Ingersoll. 

That  was  a  time  when  young  men  like  myself  went  every  Sunday 
eagerly  to  listen  to  some  scientific  lecture,  "Free  Religious"  address, 
or  Unitarian  sermon,  and  even  in  the  week-time  zealously  frw^uented 
radical  debating  clubs,  where  papers  were  discussed  on  "Immor- 
tality,"  "Science  and  Religion,"  "The  Bible,"  "Omar  Khayyam  s 
Philosophy,"  "Gnostics  and  Agnostics,"  and  a  score  of  simUar 
themes.   We  had,  in  fact,  what  might  be  called  a  positive  enthusiasm 

for  unbelief.  , 

It  is  true,  this  was  not  to  any  great  extent  embarrassed  by  definite 
knowledge;  but  all  that  was  Unknown  to  us  we  thought  Unknowable! 
Our  great  mistake  was  that  we  accepted  without  question,  not  merely 
all  the  positive  truths  which  Science  brought  to  light,  but  also  all 
the  radical  deductions  which  certain  scientists  drew  from  them. 

We  disbelieved  in  God  and  in  His  government  of  the  universe 
because  we  thought  that  Science  proved  their  non-existence;  yet 

15 


i6 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


in  reality  we  based  our  unbelief  on  the  authority  of  a  few  men,  not 
much  older  than  we  were,  who  frequently  disagreed  among  them- 
selves. At  the  same  time  we  ignored  the  statements  of  older  and 
far  greater  scientists,  and  scornfully  rejected  the  authority  of  the 
Church,  and  the  traditions  and  testimony  of  1,900  years! 

A  truthful  picture  of  that  time  is  given  by  Canon  Sheehan,  D.D., 
in  his  "Early  Essays  and  Lectures"  (p.  57): — "All  sacred  things  of 
religion,  names  that  were  spoken  with  bared  heads  and  bended  knees, 
sacred  stories  that  had  so  often  brought  comfort  to  the  sorrowful, 
and  sacred  hopes  that  had  so  long  had  their  consecrated  shrines  in 
the  human  heart,  are  made  the  subject  of  derision.  The  scoff  of  the 
unbeliever  has  degraded  in  the  eyes  of  thousands  the  purest  and 
holiest  revelations  of  Heaven." 

So  far  did  we  finally  carry  our  hostility  to  the  Christian  religion, 
that  almost  any  ideas  which  bore  the  stamp  of  flavour  of  Christianity 
were  obnoxious  to  us.  Many  of  the  parables  and  precepts  of  the 
Gospels  would  have  been  lauded  by  us  to  the  skies,  had  they  been 
uttered  by  some  Chinese  sage,  or  couched  in  other  words  than  those 
employed  by  Christ  and  His  disciples.  Not  for  the  world  would 
we  have  spoken  of  "God"  or  the  "Devil"  as  real  entities,  but  we 
would  talk  complacently  of  "something  Real  that  is  Divine,"  or 
"something  Real  that  is  Diabolic,"  as  if  we  could  transform  the 
nature  of  things  by  speaking  of  them  in  the  abstract,  or  by  writing 
their  names  in  capitals  I  Thus  did  we  cheat  ourselves  with  words, 
and  caught  at  every  subterfuge,  in  order  to  avoid  a  reference  to  the 
Almighty  as  a  Person.  Thus  did  we  turn  our  backs  upon  the  Light 
of  the  World,  to  hail  some  tallow  candle  as  the  Morning  Star,  and 
to  "explain  Christianity  by  explaining  it  away." 

There  is  much  truth  in  the  words  of  Father  Benson: — ^"The 
mind  most  impervious  to  the  Church's  influence  is  that  of  the 
tolerably  educated;  the  young  man  who  has  studied  a  little,  but 
not  much,  and  that  chiefly  from  small  handbooks;  the  young  woman 
who  attends  University  Extension  Lectures,  but  not  too  many  of 
them." 

To  the  young  and  superficially  educated  there  is  special  danger 
in  having  people  older  and  better  informed  than  themselves  assume, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  that  a  belief  in  an  intelligent  Creator  is  obso- 
lete, and  that  Materialism  is  to  be  the  "religion  of  the  future";  for 
untrained  minds  are  wont  to  cower  before  the  ridicule  of  anyone  who 
claims  superior  knowledge,  although  his  bold  assertions  may  be  mere 
MBumptions.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  although  we  all  talked  much  at 
that  time  about  "Free  Religion,"  in  our  hearts  we  wanted  no  religion 
whatsoever;  and  though  we  were  for  ever  clamouring  for  "religious 
liberty,"  what  we  really  meant  by  that  term  was  liberty  to  have  no 
a  ourselves,  and  to  discourage  everybody  else  from  having 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS  OF  RATIONALISM  17 

any.  Spencer  had  stated  in  his  "Sociology"  that  "a  religi^^^^^  system 
•  o  nnrmal  and  essential  factor  in  every  evolvmg  society  ,  but  we 
Int^rJ   red\^^^^  that,  when  -dety  ^ad  ^^^^^^^ 

fwould  slough  off  its  religions,  as  a  snake  discards  its  skm     ^ 
''  jTco^Sci,  if  possible,  this  stream  of  scientific  scepticism 
♦J   Protestant    Churches    founded    lecture    courses,    and    able 

LroSnents.    The^  courses  we  attended,  and  afterwards  dis- 
their  J>PP^^°^^^^^^  ^    ^^^bt  our  minds  were  often  too  much 

p"^^^^^^^^^  S  decision,  yet  I  recall  those  days  with 

Setas  I  look  about  me  at  the  present  rising  generation,  and  note 
its  relative  indifference  to  such  subjects. 

H  Sicism  was  the  characteristic  of  our  youthful  epoch,  In- 
diLntlsm  s  the  "Religion"  that  prevails  to-day.  At  present, 
tutri^ld  as  we  were  then  could  hardly  be  induced  to  attend  a 
irtu?e,-let  us  say,  on  the  "Miraculous  in  the  Bible,"--were  one 
tfbe  dven.  Some  of  them  never  hear  a  sermon  of  any  kmd  They 
prefer  to  play  golf,  or  to  "take  a  spin"  in  an  automobile.    I  do  not 

"Sd'L-uSrU  U  showed... .-.  .»u.  „t,vj^^  . 

m"^^^^  greatness  of  this  age  is  material   not  moral; 

Sd  not  religious.  But  we  are  paying  the  penalty  for  this, 
"'iake^^^^^^^^  were  in  many  things  and  absolutely  wrong  mou^ 
reiection  of  Christianity,  we  were  at  least  concerned  ^th  them^ 
7pa  amount  importance.  There  was  some  hope  for  us,  or  we  to^k 
Merest  in  discussions  which  pertained  to  the  imma  erial  and  the 
tS^VJe  may  have  been  fools,  but  we  were  capable  of  becoming 
w^ser,  because  we  still  read,  thought,  investigated  and  debated 
S  wTs  some  life  in  us  for  the  Spirit  of  God  to  work  on.  The 
frozen  callousness  of  to-day  is  less  encouraging. 

Our  modern  youths  have  practically  no  sense  of  spiritual  values, 
since  thTyha^^^^  grown  up  in  an  age  of  self-indulgence  and  indifference 
r  e£^^^^^  Many  of  them  are  by  inheritance  wha   th^r 

fathes  became  through  conviction,-godless  agnostics,  or  else 
mlterTaliS  w^^^  see  in  money,  luxury  and  pleasure  the  only  hmgs 
worth  STor.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  at  the  presen  time 
Sifof  yi^^^  men  and  women,  who  are  to  decide  the  future 
S  Seat  Britain  and  America,  are  being  brought  up  m  ignorance  0 
L  mble  of  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  of  the  fundamentals  of 
ChriftfanV.  Into  their  lives  there  enters  neither  worship  nor  even 
irons  reading!  Their  temples  are  the  theatres,  their  shrines  the 
Z^LXhe^  Scriptures  the  newspapers,  their  Sunday-school  books 
the  Sunday '^Comi^  Supplements"!     If  they  were  questioned  on 


i«  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

idi^otts  subjects,  they  would  probably  reply,  that  of  the  existence 
of  God,  personal  immortality,  or  a  future  day  of  judgment  they 
knew  DothiBf  and  cared  less.  I  doubt  if  thousands  of  them  ever  say 
•  prayer.  This  sUte  of  things  has  brought  about  one  of  the  most 
niMpiiuous  characteristics  of  our  age,— -Irreverence,  especially  for 
thing  connected  with  religion .♦ 

of  this  fact  arc  numberless,  but  the  following  is  worth 
_     In  an  antiquary's  shop  in  Switzerland  there  was  lately 
^  L^?f"  *  *^"^^^  old  reliquary.     It  stood  upon  a  pedestal, 
■Mked  by  eiqulsite  statuettes  of  Saints,  while  the  summit  was  sur- 
■OMied  by  a  figure  of  our  Saviour.    In  the  centre  had  once  stood 
acrystal  tube,  five  inches  high,  containing  a  sacred  relic.     The 
bewity  and  richness  of  the  object  can  be  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  It  was  purdttied  for  2,800  francs.    The  purchaser  has,  however, 
•ubsuiuted  for  the  relic-holder  an  .  .  .  electric-Ught  bulb!     It  is 
toiervc  hereafter  as  a  lamp  upon  his  writing-table.    Viewed  merely 
worn  the  rsthetic  standpoint,  this  is  regrettable  as  an  act  of  van- 
Ajten,  but  it  is  also  sad  to  think  of  the  lack  of  reverence  thus 
Mbited.    Of  aU  the  prayers  which  have  been  offered  up  to  God 
before  this  precious  shrine  in  memory  of  the  saintly  soul,  a  frag- 
ment of  whose  earthly  vestment  was  once  treasured  here,  its  present 
^^^^^  never  thinks.    For  him  it  is  a  pretty  ornament,-a 
lucky    find  ;  and  m  its  consecrated  centre  is  now  seen  the  typical 
jrmbol  of  our  Vogress,"— an  electric  burner,  by  the  light  of  which 
he  may  perhaps  read  Bernard  Shaw's  "Mrs.  Warren's  Profession"  or 
Sir  Oliver  Lodge's  "Raymond"! 

Unfortunately  such  acts  of  desecration  multiply  themselves  con- 
^*^^'^iL!^^  ^^  *  resident  in  a  European  capital,  who  acquired 
a  sa\'er  aHar-front  from  an  old  Benedictine  abbey  in  Sicily.  This 
he  has  actually  set  above  his  sideboard  as  a  background  for  his  fine 
iquean!  The  same  man  had  the  unhappy  inspiration  to  use,  as 
wet  for  bouquets  of  flowers,  five  old  chalices,  which  had  no  doubt 
contained  hundreds  of  times  during  the  celebration  of  the  Mass 
the  Holy  Sacrament!  f 

So   far  hat  our  flippant,   practically   godless   society   drifted' 
Irreverence  and  materialism  are  acting  like  corrosives  on  its  charac- 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS  OP  RATION AUSM 


X9 


,^tl«   advertisements    which   make   hideous    the    landscapes   of 
aod  are  particularly  conspicuous  at  night  in  letters  of  fire  above 
.-  -"T»  o«  Broadway  is  one  of  almost  inconceivable  vukaritv  and  oro- 
Umty.  which  urges  the  people  to  "Boost  Jesus."  vuigariiy  ana  pro- 

he  ^ISn^^I^l*  °^  "Jft*'"'  irreverence,  bordering  on  blasphemy,  it  may 
«L^^,»^^*  well-known  professional  dancer  recently  a ppcared-of 
ST^iL  *Th''V'??rj^''yr;"  ^he  Trocadero,  Paris,  in  two  n^  danTw. 
tjff««rting    The  Childhood  of  Jesus"  and  "The  Redemption"!    And   as  if 

^^''^Ui^^T!^  ^Z^  insufficient,  the  first  performance  of  these 
■■  wa*  given  on  oood  Friday  I 


ter,  and  are  eating  away  its  old  foundations.    We  see  their  bad 
effects  in  much  of  our  modern  literature,  where  a  desire  to  be 
"breezy"  and  to  shock  the  reader's  sensibilities  in  regard  to  sacred 
themes  is  thought  to  be  a  proof  of  genius,  or,  at  all  events,  of 
originality.   Yet  flippancy  in  reference  to  God,  immortality,  or  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ  is  more  than  indecorous,  it  is  indecent.    Such  writers 
and  sensational  preachers  often  seem  to  be  the  progeny  of  those  who 
passed  the  Son  of  God  upon  the  Cross,  wagging  their  heads.    Let  us 
be  charitable  enough  to  believe  that  they  "know  not  what  they  do." 
My  last  station  on  the  way  to  absolute  infidelity  was  the  philos- 
ophy of  Auguste  Comte  in  his  singular  paraphrase  of  religion,  known^- 
as  Positivism.    This  religious  wraith,  in  so  far  as  it  represented 
moderate  socialism,  appealed  powerfully  to  certain  rare,  ascetic 
souls,  like  Frederic  Harrison  and  George  Eliot,  who  were  capable  of 
being  devoted  to  "Humanity"  in  the  abstract.     It  can,  however, 
never  dominate  the  masses  of  mankind,  and  has  found  few  followers. 
It  is  dying  out.    A  wit  described  one  of  its  services  as  being  an 
assembly,  where  there  were  present  "three  persons  and  110  God"! 
Curiously  enough,  much  of  the  formal  framework  of  Positivism  is 
derived  from  Catholicism,  for  Comte  was  in  early  life  a  Catholic, 
and  never  entirely  lost  the  influence  of  his  youthful   training. 
Huxley,  in  fact,  called  Positivism  "Catholicism  without   Chris- 
tianity." .       . 

The  truth  is,  Comte  saw  plainly  that  society  cannot  exist  without 
a  religion  of  some  sort,  and  furthermore  that  religion  implies  worship. 
Some  object,  therefore,  worthy  of  worship  had  to  be  found  by  him; 
and,  since  according  to  Positivism  there  is  no  God,  Comte  deified 
the  abstract  notion  of  Humanity.  In  the  elaborate  scheme  which  he 
built  up  from  this  foundation  philosophers  were  to  replace  priests, 
while  inventors,  scientists,  poets  and  heroes  were  to  be  regarded  as 
the  Saints  of  Positivism.  Paris  was  to  be  to  them  what  Rome  is  to 
the  Catholics,  and  Mecca  is  to  Moslems;  and  a  substitute  for  the 
Blessed  Virgin  was  to  be  symbolised  by  a  "woman  of  thirty,  with  a 
child  in  her  arms"!  In  short,  the  "Religion"  of  Comte  was  a  com- 
bination of  noble  ideals  and  great  absurdities.  C.  Kegan  Paul  has 
said  of  it:— "Positivism  is  a  fair-weather  creed,  when  men  are 
strong,  happy,  untempted,  or  ignorant  that  they  are  tempted,  and 
so  long  as  a  future  life  and  its  dread  possibilities  do  not  enter  their 
thoughts;  but  it  has  no  message  for  the  sorry  and  the  sinful,  no 
restoration  for  the  erring,  no  succour  in  the  hour  of  death." 

Nevertheless  it  attracted  us  for  a  time,  as  a  novelty.  We  did  not 
stop  to  ask  ourselves  why  Comte  and  many  other  great  men  were 
agreed  that  man  has  a  religious  instinct,  and  must  accordingly  have 
a  religion  to  give  satisfaction  to  that  instinct.    Yet,  if  so,  where  did 


i8 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS  OP  RATIONAUSM 


»9 


rdipous  subjects,  they  would  probably  reply,  that  of  the  enstence 
of  God,  personal  unmortality,  or  a  future  day  of  judgment  they 
knew  nothing  and  cared  less.  I  doubt  if  thousands  of  them  ever  say 
s  prayer.  This  state  of  things  has  brought  about  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  characteristics  of  our  age.— Irreverence,  ea)edally  for 
everything  connected  with  religion.* 

Instances  of  this  fact  are  numberless,  but  the  following  is  worth 
recordmg.    In  an  antiquary's  shop  in  Switzerland  there  was  lately 
to  be  seen  a  beautiful  old  reliquary.    It  stood  upon  a  pedestal, 
flanked  by  exquisite  statuettes  of  Saints,  while  the  summit  was  sur^ 
mounted  by  a  figure  of  our  Saviour.    In  the  centre  had  once  stood 
a  crystal  tube,  five  inches  high,  containing  a  sacred  relic.    The 
beauty  and  richness  of  the  object  can  be  estimated  from  the  fact 
that  It  was  purchased  for  2,800  francs.   The  purchaser  has,  however 
substituted  for  the  relic-holder  an  .  .  .  electric-light  bulbl     It  i^ 
to  serve  hereafter  as  a  lamp  upon  his  writing-table.    Viewed  merely 
from  the  asthetic  standpoint,  tiiis  is  regrettable  as  an  act  of  van- 

«S'  in,  1,  ^u""  "^^  '°  ^^"^  °^  ""^  J^  of  reverence  thus 
CThibitcd.    Of  all  the  prayers  which  have  been  offered  up  to  God 

before  this  precious  shrine  in  memory  of  the  saintly  soul,  a  frae- 

ment  of  whose  earthly  vestment  was  once  treasured  here,  its  present 

hX  'K-  ''  r"".  '^^^'-  ^°^  ^'"^  '*■  ^  ^  pretty  ornament,-a 
llh  1  f'  T^  '"  'ts  consecrated  centre  is  now  seen  the  tyj^ical 
symbol  of  our  "progress,"-an  electric  burner,  by  the  light  of  which 
he  may  perhaps  read  Bernard  Shaw's  "Mrs.  Warren's  Profession"  or 
Su-  Ohver  Lodge's  "Raymond"! 

tinSirTJ''^  '".'^  ^'^.°^  desecration  multiply  themselves  con- 
tinually. I  know  of  a  resident  in  a  European  capital,  who  acquired 
a  sUver  a  tar-front  from  an  old  Benedictine  abb^y  in  Sicily.    TUs 

iout'rsT  "^"^  ""'  '"^'^  ^t  ''^'"^''^  ^  ^  back^ound  for'^Lis  fin^ 
hqueursi  The  same  man  had  the  unhappy  inspiration  to  use  as 
vases  for  bouquets  of  flowers,  five  old  chalkes,  which  l^d  no  Sub? 

rSotstratenul  ""^^  '"'"^  '''  ^'^'^"'^"^  °^  ^^  ^"^' 

So   far  has  our  flippant,  practically   godless   society   drifted! 

Irreverence  and  materialism  are  acting  Hke  corrosiv^on  L  c^^^^^^ 

Ame'ii^^lnd\^e1:?t^^^^^^  "^H^   W^^^o^s   the    landscapes   of 

the  crowds  of  Broadway  is  t^^^^^  ?'  "^^^^  'V'^'l'  ^^  fire  above 

fanity,  which  urges  Sopl^to^'B^T^^^  ^^^^"^  ^"^  P^o- 

be^mentireWt%'^  ^i^""^  on  blasphemy,  it  may 

course  in  a  state  of  se^i-lX-i^^^^^^^^  ^""^"'^^  appeared-^f 

representing  "The  ChildhocS  of  Tesus"in^"Ti.  'Ji«"''  ^"-  *^.°.  "^^  ^^"^^s. 
this  monstrous  improprictvw^efn«^^^^^  The  Redemption"!  And.  as  if 
dances  was  given  SnG^^PrSly?*^*'  ^^  ^"^  performance  of  these 


ter,  and  arc  eating  away  its  old  foundations.    We  see  thdr  bad 
effects  in  much  of  our  modem  Kterature,  where  a  desire  to  be 
"breezy"  and  to  shock  the  reader's  sensibilities  in  regard  to  sacred 
themes  is  thought  to  be  a  proof  of  genius,  or,  at  all  events,  of 
originality.   Yet  flippancy  in  reference  to  God,  inmiortality,  or  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ  is  more  than  indecorous,  it  is  indecent.    Such  writers 
and  sensational  preachers  often  seem  to  be  the  progeny  of  those  who 
passed  the  Son  of  God  upon  the  Cross,  wagging  their  heads.    Let  us 
be  charitable  enough  to  believe  that  they  "know  not  what  they  do." 
My  last  station  on  the  way  to  absolute  infidelity  was  the  philos- 
ophy of  Auguste  Comte  in  his  singular  paraphrase  of  religion,  known  ^ 
as  PosiUvism.    This  religious  wraith,  in  so  far  as  it  represented 
moderate  socialism,  appealed  powerfully  to  certain  rare,  ascetic 
souls,  like  Frederic  Harrison  and  George  Eliot,  who  were  capable  of 
bemg  devoted  to  "Humanity"  in  the  abstract    It  can,  however, 
never  dominate  the  masses  of  mankind,  and  has  found  few  followers. 
It  is  dying  out.    A  wit  described  one  of  its  services  as  being  an 
assembly,  where  there  weie  present  "three  persons  and  no  God"! 
Curiously  enough,  much  of  the  formal  framework  of  Positivism  is 
derived  from  CathoUcism,  for  Comte  was  in  early  life  a  Catholic, 
and  never  entirely  lost  the  influence  of  his  youthful   training. 
Huxley,  in   fact,  called  Positivism  "Catholicism  without   Chns- 

tianity."  .       .^,     , 

The  truth  is,  Comte  saw  plainly  that  society  cannot  exist  without 
a  religion  of  some  sort,  and  furthermore  that  religion  implies  worship. 
Some  object,  therefore,  worthy  of  worship  had  to  be  found  by  him; 
and,  since  according  to  Positivism  there  is  no  God,  Comte  deified 
the  abstract  notion  of  Humanity.  In  the  elaborate  scheme  which  he 
built  up  from  this  foundation  philosophers  were  to  replace  priests, 
while  inventors,  scientists,  poets  and  heroes  were  to  be  regarded  as 
the  Saints  of  Positivism.  Paris  was  to  be  to  them  what  Rome  is  to 
the  Catholics,  and  Mecca  is  to  Moslems;  and  a  substitute  for  the 
Blessed  Virgin  was  to  be  symbolised  by  a  "woman  of  thirty,  with  a 
child  in  her  arms"!  In  short,  the  "Religion"  of  Comte  was  a  com- 
bination of  noble  ideals  and  great  absurdities.  C.  Kegan  Paul  has 
said  of  it:— "Positivism  is  a  fair-weather  creed,  when  men  are 
strong,  happy,  untempted,  or  ignorant  that  they  are  tempted,  and 
so  long  as  a  future  Ufe  and  its  dread  possibUities  do  not  enter  their 
thoughts;  but  it  has  no  message  for  the  sorry  and  the  sinful,  no 
restoration  for  the  erring,  no  succour  in  the  hour  of  death." 

Nevertheless  it  attracted  us  for  a  time,  as  a  novelty.  We  did  not 
stop  to  ask  ourselves  why  Comte  and  many  other  great  men  were 
agreed  that  man  has  a  reUgious  instinct,  and  must  accordingly  have 
a  religion  to  give  satisfaction  to  that  instinct.    Yet,  if  so,  where  did 


20 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


this  religious  instinct  come  from?  If  man  must  have  some  sort  of 
a  religion,  his  need  must  correspond  to  a  reality.  Hence  Atheism  is 
antagonistic  to  a  universal  want  and  instinct  of  humanity. 

What  we  young  men  inevitably  drifted  into  finally  was  arrogant 
infidelity  and  materialism.  I  do  not  know  why  we  all  derived  great 
satisfaction  from  the  theory  that  we  had  descended  from  an  ape-like 
animal,  but  we  certainly  did.  It  was  probably  because  we  thought 
that  it  refuted  the  Biblical  account  of  man^s  creation,  and  made  the 
doctrine  of  his  Fall  and  Redemption  quite  untenable.  Anything 
like  a  Divine  Revelation  of  man's  origin  and  relation  to  God  was,  of 
course,  rejected  by  our  rationalistic  circle  with  disdain,  and,  having 
lost  our  faith  in  such  a  Revelation,  we  came  to  lead  a  practically 
godless  life. 

I,  at  least,  never  went  to  church  for  public  worship;  Christianity 
was  to  me  but  one  of  numerous  religions,  all  of  human  origin;  the 
universe  was  an  insoluble  mystery;  the  existence  of  God  was  prob- 
able, but  the  term  was  meaningless;  Christ  was  a  noble  teacher  and 
examplar,  but  a  man,  who  had  been  born  and  died  like  other  mortals, 
with  no  resurrection;  whether  the  soul  existed  separate  from  the 
body  was  a  matter  for  conjecture;  in  any  case,  its  conscious  im- 
mortality was  very  questionable;  reincarnation  was  a  pleasing 
theory,  which  fairly  well  explained  the  presence  here  of  suffering  and 
evil,  but  the  essential  thread  of  memory  was  lacking  to  make  a  pre- 
vious life  of  any  real  advantage;  death  was  a  matter  hardly  to  be 
feared,  since  it  was  universal  and  as  natural  as  birth ;  moreover,  if  it 
meant  eternal  sleep,  it  was  a  boon;  if  not,  one  could  at  least  suppose, 
according  to  the  theory  of  evolution,  that  our  next  stage  of  existence 
would  be  an  improvement  on  the  present  one;  and  since  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  planet,  if  they  survived  the  dissolution  of  the  body, 
would  probably  be  kept  together,  wherever  they  might  be  trans- 
planted, conscious  reunion  with  our  loved  ones  seemed  not  utterly 
unlikely. 

Of  all  these  things,  however,  I  thought  as  little  as  possible;  and, 
much  as  an  ostrich  thrusts  its  head  into  the  sand  to  avoid  the  sight  of 
coming  danger,  I  lived  on,  apathetic,  hopeless  and  apparently  in- 
different. Yet  in  my  better  moments  I  indulged  in  hopes  and  feelings 
which  I  was  ashamed  to  reveal  to  anyone.  In  my  portfolio  lie 
several  poems,  some  original,  some  selected,  which  well  describe  my 
doubts  and  sentiments,  that  would  not  die.  Perhaps  I  cannot  do 
better  than  to  quote  from  one  of  them. 

At  the  Monastery  of  Acqua  Fredda 

By  Acqua  Fredda's  cloister-wall 
I  pause  to  feel  the  mountain-breeze, 
And  watch  the  shadows  eastward  fall 
From  immemorial  cypress-trees; 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS  OF  RATIONALISM 

While  mirrored  peaks  of  stainless  snow 
Turn  crimson  'neath  the  farther  shore, 
And  here  and  there  the  sunset  glow 
Threads  diamonds  on  a  drippmg  oar. 

But  now  a  tremor  breaks  the  spell, 
And  stirs  to  life  the  languid  air,— 
It  is  the  convent's  vesper  bell, 
The  plaintive  call  to  evening  prayer ; 

That  prayer  which  rises  like  a  sigh 
From  every  sorrow-laden  breast, 
When  twilight  dims  the  garish  sky, 
And  day  is  dying  in  the  west. 

How  sweet  and  clear,  how  soft  and  low 
Those  vesper  orisons  are  sung 
In  Rome's  grand  speech  of  long  ago. 
For  ever  old,  for  ever  young  I 

So  full  is  life  of  hate  and  greed. 
So  vain  the  world's  poor  tmselled  show, 
What  wonder  that  some  souls  have  need 
To  flee  from  all  its  sin  and  woe? 

I  would  not  join  them;  yet,  in  truth, 
I  feel,  in  leaving  them  at  prayer, 
That  something  precious  of  my  youth. 
Long  lost  to  me,  is  treasured  there. 


21 


TEE  AWAKENING 


23 


Chapter  III 

TEE  AWAKENING 

"I?^  ^^^^  ^^®  J"^*'  ^"^  °^  ^"''  pleasant  vices 
Make  instruments  to  scourge  us." 

Shakespeare. 

^^^^J^l^^^:^^  ^^'"^  .ho^isposef  of  ev^^f/ *5 

sen'Jmen!  ''  ""  ^fl^"  }<^  for  nations  animated  by  a  sincere  religious 
rnrriinVau^nVao^D^J;^^!  '°^^  ^'  ^^'^"^  '"  *  ^"'"-• 

tiorSn\Sry5li"J'pk'''^^^  °^  •"^"^-'^  •"-'  -^-^^'rily  be  na- 

THUS  outwardly  indifferent,  but  inwardly  unhappy,  I  drifted 
on  towards  life's  inevitable  end  .  .  .  till  suddenly  the 
»!,  .  -u^^^^u .  ,  °^  ^^^  unspeakable  horrors  of  the  World  War  and 
the  terrible  debacle  of  our  boasted  civilisation  aroused  me  from  my 
torpor,  like  the  trump  of  God.  ^ 

FnTn-t  *'"''"'"''  °^  ^°'*'"''''  ^^  '914  found  me  in  one  of  the 
rl  WH  ""T'"^  T"'"'?'  ^""^  "^^""stances  of  a  domestic  nature 
retained  me  during  the  entire  war  not  only  in  a  belligerent  land,  but 
Ttr^l  'nner  war-zone,  often  within  the  sound  of  cannon  and 
the  fall  of  bombs  My  purpose  is  not  to  describe  here,  even  briefly 
the  sufferings  and  privations  which  I  saw  and  shar;d  in  rerions 
bordering  on  that  belt  of  batUe.  If  any  of  my  readers  have  been 
overwhelmed  w.th  horror,  pity  and  dismay  at  merely  readingb  thS 

can  perhaps  imagine  what  it  meant  to  live,  day  in,  day  out    for 

STrave  vomhsTn't'  '''  °'P'^"^'  ^"'^  *''°"^°'>^  '^P""  thousand! 
ot  brave  youths  departing,  .  .  .  never  to  return.    Those  were  five 

Sir    Mv  IrT'^n'^''^^--'  ^"^  sometimes  of  clple^^ 
d^pair.    My  wish  is  to  relate  how  this  encampment  at  the  eat^  of 

II^XVTC^'^:^'  ^'  ^^  ^^^<^-  o^  ^eath.  sioJin:! 

*i,^*'^l'^  ^  ^T^  }^^'^*'''  ''"^  ''e^th  is  a  still  greater  one    To  know 
that  thousands  of  brave  souls  are  being  hurried  into  eternkv  dav 

£'h7  '?.w^  '""  "'  '"^^  ^'^y'  "Ot  "somewhere"  far  away  bS 

ust  beyond  that  range  of  hills  and  inside  the  horizon"  vS-  to 

leam  that  some  of  those  poor,  slaughtered  boys  were  ^y  owl  S^Jf 

22  ' 


or  sons  of  friends;  to  see  their  parents  meet  the  awful  news;  to 
look  upon  the  ghastly  wrecks  of  what  but  yesterday  were  stalwart 
youths;  and  then  to  note  the  ever-lengthening  line  of  shrouded 
forms  and  read  the  lists  of  desolated  homes;— to  see,  to  feel,  to  know 
all  this,  and  not  to  ask  my  soul  some  searching  questions  about  God 
and  immortality,  was  impossible. 

Hence,  little  by  little,  a  mysterious  Power,  which  I  now  humbly 
recognise  as  the  grace  of  God,  constrained  me  to  confront  once  more 
the  awful  problems  I  had  shunned  so  long.  To-morrow  I,  too,  might  . 
be  dead;  my  dear  ones  also  might  be  slain;  my  own  home  might  be 
shattered  to  a  mass  of  ruins.  Surely  the  time  had  come  for  me  to 
settle  once  for  all  my  attitude  towards  the  omnipotent  Maker  of  the 
universe,  one  tiny  part  of  which  was  my  own  soul.  However  hope- 
less the  attempt,  I  nevertheless  felt  forced  to  make  it. 

At  the  outset  it  was  clear  to  me  that  the  scientific  scepticism 
which  had  been  my  philosophy  for  forty  years  could  neither  aid  nor 
comfort  me  in  this  catastrophe.    It  had  sufficed  thus  far  to  narcoUse 
my  soul,  but  now  it  had  no  more  effect.    I  looked  at  "civilised 
Europe,  and  beheld  entire  nations  slaughtering  one  another  by  land, 
by  sea  and  in  the  air  with  the  most  frightfully  destructive  means 
that  science  had  been  able  to  invent.    I  saw  still  other  millions  of 
the  human  race,— the  aged,  the  infirm,  women,  children,  infants,— 
threatened  with  starvation!     And,  all  the  while,  the  Frankensteins 
of  modern  times,  the  mighty  agencies  of  printed  words,  emitted 
floods  of  falsehoods,  hate  and  malice,  which  spread  a  terrible  miasma 
through  a  blighted  world!     I  saw  besides  all  this,  and  partly  as  a 
result  of  it,  society  itself  dissolving  in  indecency;  public  and  pnvate 
morals  rapidly  degenerating;  hideous  diseases  eating  out  the  marrow 
of  the  race;  revolting  realism  in  art  and  drama  breeding  a  pubhc 
taste  for  filth;  the  old  ideals  of  honour,  truth  and  even  common 
honesty  trampled  under  foot,  accompanied  by  indifference  to  religion 
and  open  disbelief  in  God  and  immortality.    Home  life,  the  very 
nucleus  of  Christian  civilisation,  seemed  in  many  places  a  Jhing  of 
the  past.    A  letter  from  a  friend  in  America  assured  me:— "No  one 
here  cares  any  more  for  a  home.    Hundreds  of  fine  houses  are  closed,  " 
and  the  owners  travel,  or  live  in  hotels.    They  would  not  take  a 
*home'  as  a  gift,  if  they  would  thereby  be  compelled  to  live  in  it. 
What  they  desire  most  is  an  automobile  which  will  pass  all  others 
on  the  road.     What  will  the  coming  generation  be,  under  such 
homeless  conditions  on  the  one  side,  and  insensate  luxury  and 
perilous  amusements  on  the  other?" 

As  to  the  latter,  the  mere  perusal  of  the  titles  of  many  of  the 
dramas  placed  to-day  upon  the  stage  will  convince  anyone,  in  whom 
a  remnant  of  morality  and  decency  still  remains,  that  the  tendency 
among  nlaywrights  and  managers  aUke  is  to  place  before  the  public 


H 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


plays  which  are  sexually  suggestive,  morally  unwholesome,  vulgar 
and  degrading.  Their  themes  are  all  too  frequently  picked  out  of  the 
moral  garbage-boxes  of  humanity.  Yet,  if  we  turn  from  these  un- 
wholesome exhibitions  of  indecency  to  the  still  more  baneful  in- 
fluences of  the  cinematograph  shows,  we  reach  an  even  lower  level. 
A  New  York  editor  writes: — ^'It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say 
that  to-day  the  dominant  purpose  of  the  moving-picture  industry  is 
to  commercialise  some  form  of  immorality.  Even  pictures  not 
morally  objectionable  seek  popularity  by  adopting  titles  which  hint 
at  and  promise  indecency.  The  moving  picture  is  a  standing  menace 
to  the  morals  of  our  children." 

This  condemnation  is  not  confined  to  "Puritan  America."  The 
president  of  the  juvenile  court  in  Brussels  (in  Belgium  there  exists 
a  special  magistracy  for  youthful  criminals)  has  also  published  a 
most  interesting  report,  in  which  he  states  that  cinematograph  shows 
have  a  pernicious  influence  on  children's  morals.  "The  daily  proofs 
of  this,"  he  says,  "are  striking.  The  cynicism  of  the  little  criminal 
is  astounding;  he  confesses  that  he  steals  in  order  to  be  able  to  go 
to  the  kino,  and  that  it  is  the  kino  itself  that  incites  him  to  steal. 
The  cinematograph  surpasses  every  other  agency  for  ruining  our 
youth;  it  is  even  more  deleterious  than  the  reading  of  detective 
stories,  because  in  this  case  at  least  the  effort  of  reading  is  necessary. 
The  cinematograph,  as  a  rule,  excuses  and  glorifies  murder  and 
crime,  suggests  suicide,  embellishes  adultery  and  incites  to  theft." 
In  fact,  all  who  are  acquainted  with  the  subject  recognise  that 
this  amusement,  which  might  be  of  so  much  educational  value, 
is  becoming  more  and  more  a  breeding-place  for  vice  and  im- 
morality. 

T:  it  any  wonder,  therefore,  that  at  last  a  tidal  wave  of  disillusion- 
ment  and  discouragement  has  overwhelmed  the  world?  One  suffers 
from  a  kind  of  spiritual  nausea;  and  what  accentuates  one's  mental 
anguish  is  the  realisation  that  most  of  us  have  been  egregiously 
deceived;  that,  in  our  deification  of  inventive  cleverness,  we  have 
been  worshipping  the  wrong  gods;  that  much  of  our  loud-vaunted 
"progress"  is  merely  acceleration;  and  that  our  boasted  civilisation 
is  a  thin  veneer,  concealing  a  substratum  of  appalling  barbarism. 

We  have  believed  that  our  mechanical  inventions  formed  the 

(principal  test  of  man's  advancement;  but  now  we  are  beginning  to 

j  perceive  that  the  only  real  criterion  of  civilisation  and  progress  is 

\  character;  and  that  greater  personal  comfort,  better  facilities  for 

'communication,  and  an  immense  increase  of  marketable  products 

through  machinery,  can  no  more  help  a  man,  whose  character  is 

deteriorating,  than  a  new  suit  of  clothes  can  cure  an  individual 

'suffering  from  cancer.     In  short,  we  have  been  living  in  a  fool's 

paradise.    Our  standard  of  measurement  has  been  wrong.     What 


THE  AWAKENING 


25 


we  have  needed  was  progress  in  thmgs  spiritual,  not  in  things 

material. 

Appalling  also  is  the  fact  that  most  of  our  so-called  progress 
means  increased  capacity  for  .  .  .  wasting  the  earth's  resources! 
Each  year  has  brought  forth  new  contrivances,  by  which  to  throw 
away  on  senseless  speed  the  planet's  ever-dwindling  stores.  But 
when  earth's  coal  and  oil  shall  have  been  exhausted,  no  more  can  be 
produced.  Our  capital,  though  originally  large,  is  limited;  yet, 
although  almost  every  new  invention  has  led  to  fresh  extravagance, 
we  have  all  hailed  it  as  a  triumph!  We  have  indeed  learned  to  fly 
like  birds,  and  to  plough  the  ocean's  depths  like  fishes;  but  we  have 
used  these  last  achievements  chiefly  to  destroy  our  fellow-men,  or 
else  to  blow  to  atoms  what  has  been  amassed  through  centuries 

of  toil. 

Meanwhile  we  have  made  the  acquisition  of  wealth  and  physical 
indulgence  the  principal  end  and  aim  of  life,  and  in  our  rush  for 
riches  and  pleasure  have  thrown  our  old  ideals  of  morality  to  the 
winds,  and  most  of  our  religion  to  the  scrap-heap.  Yet,  with  all 
this,  our  "progress"  has  not  made  us  happier.  We  had  supposed  that 
happiness  consisted  either  in  making  or  in  spending  money,  but  now 
we  have  discovered  this  to  be  a  miserable  delusion.  There  never 
was  a  time  in  human  history  when  men  possessed  so  little  happiness 
and  peace  of  mind  as  now.  Our  modern  unbelief  brings  with  it  no 
relief  from  the  intolerable  burden  of  the  world,  but  rather  an  increas- 
ing discontent  with  present  conditions,  assuaged  by  no  consoling 
vision  of  the  future.  Truly  the  cup  of  all  this  godless  and  material 
prosperity  has  bitterness  in  its  dregs! 

We  once  supposed  Machinery  to  be  our  slave;  it  has  become 
our  master.  It  has  relieved  us  of  some  manual  toil,— -with  little 
real  benefit  to  the  joyless  labourer, — but  it  has  heaped  upon  us 
overwhelming  burdens;  for  our  desires  increase  a  thousandfold  with 
every  new  invention,  and  with  them  come  those  fiends  of  modern 
life, — competition,  envy,  hatred  .  .  .  War! 

All  this  I  finally  perceived,  and  realised  that  this  reign  of  hell  on 
earth  was  the  inevitable  Nemesis  of  our  misconduct.  We  had  dis- 
carded God,  and  He  was  letting  us  see  how  we  could  live  without 
Him.  We  had  ignored  religion  in  our  families,  schools  and  govern- 
ments, and  the  result  had  been  the  breakdown  of  a  civilisation  we 
had  thought  secure. 

In  the  great  Belgian  Exposition,  a  few  years  ago,  above  the 
entrance  to  the  Hall  of  Modern  Mechanical  Inventions  was  placed 
the  inscription:— "Man  as  God."  These  words  express  the  sentiment 
of  many  of  the  leading  men  of  Europe  at  the  present  time.  Yet  we 
can  see  what  many  of  the  machines  produced  by  "Man  as  God" 
have  thus  far  done  for  him!    Our  "godlike"  mechanism  is  maddening 


26 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


some,  murdering  others,  materialising  all  of  us.  We  boasted  once 
that  our  inventions  had  made  rapid  transit  so  secure,  that  famines 
were  no  longer  possible;  but  later  wonderful  machines  have  changed 
all  that,  and  never  have  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  suffered  so  acutely 
from  under-nourishment  and  hunger-typhus  as  precisely  in  the  last 
few  years,  when  thousands  of  infants  and  of  the  old  and  feeble  have 
died,  and  are  still  dying  (1920),  from  lingering  inanition! 

I  also  recognised  the  fact  that  merely  secular  education  is  not 
sufficient  for  the  preservation  of  society.  The  notion  that  some  years 
of  schooling,  with  no  instruction  in  morals  and  religion,  is  a  panacea 
for  all  social  ills,  is  a  delusion.  The  acquisition  of  mere  secular 
knowledge  often  means  the  power  of  gaining  wealth  illegally,  or 
gratifying  vice  more  easily.  It  may  make  children  "smarter,"  and 
young  men  still  more  cunning  in  the  art  of  money-getting,  but  it 
makes  some  of  them  clever  anarchists  and  criminals.  The  man  of 
brightest  intellect,  unbalanced  by  moral  and  religious  forces,  often 
is  a  godless  knave.  In  such  a  case  his  glittering  accomplishments 
resemble  iridescent  colours  on  a  putrid  pool.  What  is  the  use  of 
learning  facts  concerning  physics,  chemistry,  biology,  history, 
languages  and  mechanics,  if  there  is  wanting  in  the  youth  who 
masters  them  a  moral  character,  to  guarantee  us  that  this  education, 
which  we  tax  ourselves  to  give,  shall  not  be  used  against  the  common- 
wealth? As  "grafters,"  corrupt  legislators,  venal  editors,  dema- 
gogues and  Bolshevists,  the  educated  scoundrels  are  more  dangerous 
than  the  same  men  would  be  if  uneducated;  and  history  plainly 
teaches  that  the  continued  prosperity,  often  the  very  existence,  of 
nations  largely  depends  upon  the  vigour  of  their  moral  and  religious 
life,  and  on  their  faithfulness  to  public  and  private  duty, 

I  am  aware  of  the  difficulty  of  making  taxpayers,  who  belong  to 
different  faiths,  agree  upon  the  kind  of  religious  instruction  to  be 
given  to  their  children.  But  surely  some  agreement  can  be  reached 
by  rational  men  upon  at  least  the  simplest  principles  of  Theism, 
which  none  but  atheists  and  anarchists  would  probably  reject.  There 
is  at  present  a  total  lack  of  even  ethical  instruction  in  our  schools, 
in  consequence  of  which  we  have  a  growing  generation  of  youthful 
materialists  who  possess  a  very  meagre  moral  code,  look  upon 
wealth  and  pleasure  as  the  only  gods  worth  worshipping,  admire  the 
"grafter"  and  the  "plunger,"  if  they  are  successful,  acknowledge 
only  the  "eleventh  commandment," — "Thou  shalt  not  be  found  out," 
— and  later  on  may  hire  conscienceless  lawyers  to  help  them  circum- 
vent thte  law  or  bribe  the  Legislature. 

A  Niw  York  lawyer  has  recently  written: — ^**Our  children  may  be 
taught/the  lives,  the  wars  and  the  amours  of  every  god  and  goddess 
of  pagan  mythology,  but  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  must  not  be 
sDoken  in  the  schoolroom.    The  walls  of  the  schoolhouse  may  show 


THE  AWAKENING 


27 


the  pictures  of  real  or  fabled  heroes  of  Greece  and  ancient  Rome,  but 
no  picture  of  the  Saviour  of  men  or  of  His  Mother  may  be  shown, 
lest  some  squeamish  soul  in  this  Christian  country  be  sore  ofifended!" 

"It  cannot  be  doubted,"  writes  a  Pastor  in  the  Katholiken  K'or- 
respondenz  (Prague,  February,  1920),  "that  the  exclusion  of  religion 
from  the  instruction  and  education  of  millions  of  children  must 
cause  a  gradual  lowering  of  the  moral  formation  of  the  people.  It 
is  inevitable  that,  if  there  is  a  lack  of  a  positively  taught,  religious 
conception  of  life,  greed  for  money  and  abandonment  to  low  pleasures 
will  more  and  more  cause  the  life  of  the  people  to  degenerate,  and 
that  unscrupulousness  and  corruption  will  gain  the  mastery. 
Phenomena  of  fearful  significance  in  American  life  prove  this  clearly. 
The  State  is  being  undermined." 

This  condition  of  affairs  reacts  unfavourably  even  on  purely 
secular  education.  If  there  was  one  thing  of  which  the  people  of 
America  were  formerly  proud,  it  was  the  educational  system  pre- 
vailing in  at  least  some  of  the  United  States;  but,  judging  from  the 
salaries  at  present  paid  to  most  of  the  teachers  there,  education  is 
valued  much  less  than  material  pleasures,  luxuries  and  vices.  Dr. 
Claxton,  Commissioner  of  Education  in  the  American  Republic,  says: 
"The  negro  porter  on  a  Pullman  car  makes  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  high-school  teachers  in  the  United  States;  while  a  good  stenog- 
rapher, with  no  more  than  a  high-school  education,  may  make  more 
than  the  maximum  paid  for  a  teacher  in  the  grades."  Accordingly, 
he  estimates  that  there  is  now  a  shortage  in  the  United  States  ot 
50,000  teachers,  and  that  "wo/  less  than  300,000  now  in  service  are 
below  any  reasonable  standard  of  ability  and  preparation*' I 

Worse  than  this,  however,  are  the  conditions  prevailing  in  some 
American  colleges  and  so-called  universities,  where  the  Professors 
are  so  badly  paid  that  they  often  cannot  afford  to  hire  a  servant, 
and  are  obliged,  in  case  of  the  illness  of  their  wives,  to  do  the  house- 
work themselves,  including  standing  at  the  tubs,  and  doing  the  family 
washing  I  The  writer  has  absolute,  documentary  proof  of  the  truth 
of  this  almost  incredible  statement,  and  it  is  beyond  question  that 
scores  of  gifted  men,  who  have  the  higher  education  of  American 
youth  in  charge,  are,  at  a  time  when  the  world  stands  aghast  at 
American  luxury,  living  in  extreme  poverty,  and  struggling  with 
hardships,  privations  and  harrowing  anxieties. 

Meantime  the  void  so  noticeable  in  our  modern  education  is  filled 
with  such  ethical  standards  as  are  discoverable  ...  in  the  news- 
papers I  Fifty  years  ago,  Carlyle  declared  that  the  Press  had  re- 
placed the  Pulpit.  If  that  is  still  the  case,  God  help  us!  One  could 
not  find  a  more  appalling  illustration  of  the  prostitution  of  truth, 
honour  and  morality  than  is  seen  in  the  Press  of  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  world  to-day. 


28 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


For  years  it  has  lent  itself  to  the  work  of  murder,  and  has  kept 
the  fires  of  international  hatred  burning  at  white  heat,  for  the  sake 
of  profits  gained  from  the  patronage  of  a  sensation-loving  public, 
or  from  parties  interested  in  the  publication  of  prejudiced  descriptions 
or  absolutely  false  reports.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  Press  is 
now  an  ominous  danger  to  public  morals,  since  it  has  shown  itself  to 
be  both  vile  and  venal,  and  willing  to  deceive  and  brutalise  mankind. 

The  depths  to  which  its  employes  are  frequently  reduced  is  seen 
in  the  judgment  passed  upon  the  calling  of  the  American  journalist 
by  a  New  York  editor,  John  Swinton,  during  an  annual  dinner  of  the 
New  York  Press  Association.  It  certainly  is  a  frank  confession: — 
"There  is  no  such  thing  as  an  independent  Press  in  America,  if  we 
except  that  of  little  country  towns.  You  know  this  and  I  know  it. 
Not  a  man  among  you  dares  to  utter  his  honest  opinion.  Were 
you  to  utter  it,  you  know  beforehand  that  it  would  never  appear  in 
print.  I  am  paid  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  week  so  that  I  may 
keep  my  honest  opinion  out  of  the  paper  for  which  I  write.  You, 
too,  are  paid  similar  salaries  for  similar  services.  Were  I  to  permit 
that  a  single  edition  of  my  newspaper  contained  an  honest  opinion, 
my  occupation,  like  Othello's,  would  be  gone  in  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours.  The  man  who  would  be  so  foolish  as  to  write  his  honest 
opinion  would  soon  be  on  the  streets  in  the  search  for  another  job. 
It  is  the  duty  of  a  New  York  journalist  to  lie,  to  distort,  to  revile,  to 
toady  at  the  feet  of  Mammon,  and  to  sell  his  country  and  his  race 
for  his  daily  bread,  or  what  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  his  salary. 
We  are  the  tools  and  the  vassals  of  the  rich  behind  the  scenes.  We 
are  marionettes.  These  men  pull  the  strings,  and  we  dance.  Our 
time,  our  talents,  our  lives,  our  capacities  are  all  the  property  of 
these  men;  we  are  intellectual  prostitutes." 

Philip  Francis,  for  years  an  editorial  writer  of  great  influence  in 
America,  and  who  has  had  for  forty  years  an  intimate  connection 
with  journalism,  writes: — ^**With  a  few  honourable  exceptions,  the 
big  papers  and  magazines  of  the  United  States  are  the  most  ignorant 
and  gullible,  as  well  as  the  most  cowardly  and  controlled  Press, 
printed  in  any  country  in  the  world.  The  majority  of  the  owners  are 
mere  financiers,  who  look  upon  their  magazines  and  newspapers 
simply  as  money-making  mills,  and  who,  whenever  it  is  a  question 
between  more  coin  and  good,  honest,  patriotic  public  service,  will 
take  the  coin  every  time"  ("The  Poison  in  America's  Cup,"  p.  31). 

What  adds  to  the  peril  of  this  capitalised  Press, — ^which  is,  of 
course,  not  confined  to  any  one  country, — is  the  deplorable  fact  that 
millions  of  the  people  of  all  lands  find  in  their  newspapers  their  only 
mental  food,  and  form  their  opinions  on  practically  all  subjects  by 
reading  insincerely  written  editorials.  Some  even  have  time  only 
for  the  headlines  I 


THE  AWAKENING 


29 


Reverting  now  to  the  absence  of  religious  education  among  the 
present  rising  generation,  we  find  in  France  the  testimony  against 
the  system  of  secular  training  prevailing  there  still  more  damaging 
than  in  America.  For  many  years,  as  is  well  known,  the  policy  of 
the  French  Government  was  not  only  anti-Catholic,  but  also  anti- 
religious.  At  one  time  it  nearly  succeeded  in  destroying  the  belief 
and  practice  of  Christianity  among  the  men  of  France  at  least. 
Aheady  in  1863,  the  following  picture  of  the  state  of  France  was 
drawn  by  a  friendly  critic: — ^''A  sad  infidelity  appears  to  me  the 
prevalent  tone  of  feeling  among  the  French  of  all  ranks.  In  the 
railway  carriages,  from  officers,  merchants,  labourers,  travellers  of 
all  ranks  and  degrees,  when  no  priest  or  nun  was  present,  I  have 
heard  nothing  but  sneers  at  the  weakness  of  those  who  believed  in  la 
mythologie  of  Christianity.  A  vast  proportion  of  the  people  are 
atheists.  The  French  seem  divided  into  two  classes, — those  who 
believe  everything,  and  those  who  believe  nothing"  {Once  a  Week, 
No.  233,  1863).  Not  long  ago,  on  a  rainy  Sunday  afternoon,  in 
the  vast  hall  of  the  Trocadero  in  Paris  an  audience  of  5,000 
assembled  to  declare  their  adhesion  to  atheism,  and  to  listen  to 
speakers  who  mocked  at  "the  dead  God,  on  whom  priests  live"! 

These  evils  were  foreseen  and  pointed  out,  already  forty  years 
ago,  by  statesmen  like  M.  Jules  Simon.  To  realise  how  atheistically 
the  French  authorities  ventured  even  then  to  speak  in  public,  we 
have  but  to  consult  the  records  of  that  time.  Thus,  in  1882,  a 
president  of  French  schools  said  to  the  children: — ^"People  pretend 
that  we  wish  to  have  schools  without  God.  But  you  cannot  turn  a 
page  of  your  books  without  finding  there  the  name  of  a  god, — that  is, 
of  a  man  of  genius,  a  benefactor,  a  hero  of  humanity.  In  this  point 
of  view  we  are  true  pagans,  for  our  gods  are  many ! "  ("Dieu,  Patrie 
et  Liberte,"  p.  350.)  Another  President,  addressing  a  body  of  school- 
teachers, said: — "Religious  teaching  plunges  him  [the  student] 
fatally  into  an  obscure  night  and  into  an  abyss  of  lamentable  super- 
stitions" {idem,  p.  351).  Another  President,  quoted  from  the  same 
source  by  Cardinal  Manning  ("Miscellanies,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  63),  said: — 
"Young  citizenesses  and  young  citizens,  you  have  just  been  told 
that  we  have  driven  God  out  of  the  school.  It  is  an  error.  Nobody 
can  drive  out  that  which  does  not  exist,  God  does  not  exist.  We 
have  suppressed  only  emblems."  The  "emblems"  referred  to  were 
sacred  pictures  and  especially  crucifixes.  These  the  Prefect  of  the 
Seine  in  the  Senate  called  "school  furniture"!  The  same  could  be 
said  of  the  Courts  of  Justice  throughout  France,  from  which  the 
crucified  figure  of  the  Saviour  and  future  Judge  of  mankind,  which 
formerly  confronted  every  witness  and  juryman,  has  also  been  re- 
moved. Paul  Bert,  the  Minister  for  Public  Instruction  under 
Gambetta,  in  1881,  and  for  years  a  leading  exponent  of  the  French 


30 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


atheistic  school,  proposed  to  sell  all  Bishops'  palaces,  seminaries  for 
priests,  and  nunneries,  belonging  to  the  State,  and  openly  declared:— 
"Others  may  occupy  themselves,  if  they  like,  in  seeking  a  nostrum 
to  destroy  the  phylloxera;  mine  shall  be  the  task  to  find  one  that 
shall  destroy  the  Christian  religion." 

We  cannot  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  French  Abb6  Bougaud 
says  in  his  book,  "Le  Grand  Peril"  (p.  70) :— "Our  people  are  not 
hostile  to  religion;  they  are  ignorant  of  it;  they  live  bowed  down  to 
the  earth.  You  speak  to  them,  but  they  do  not  understand."  This 
is  an  awful  responsibility  for  any  nation  to  take  upon  itself,  and  is 
ominous  for  the  future,  when  one  or  two  generations  more  shall  have 
come  and  gone  in  godlessnessi  The  Abbe  also  says  (p.  83):— "If 
warned  by  the  lightning  which  foreruns  the  storm,  they  return  to 
God  ...  the  people  who  are  now  wandering  may  be  brought  back. 
...  If,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  obstinate,  we  must  wrap  our 
mantle  about  us,  and  let  the  storm  pass  over.  It  will  be  terrible." 
Have  not  his  words  been  mournfully  fulfilled?  Poor  France,  of 
course,  is  not  the  only  land  where  godlessness  has  made  such  c^n 
and  official  progress. 

In  Italy  similar  causes  have  produced  in  many  places  similar 
results.  Italian  priests  have  told  me  that  frequently  men  whom 
they  encounter  on  the  streets  take  a  malicious  pleasure  in  uttering 
in  their  presence  the  most  shocking  blasphemies.  In  a  newspaper, 
published  in  Northern  Italy,  I  recently  read  a  communication  signed 
by  a  "Group  of  Fathers."  In  this  tie  charge  was  made  that  two 
school-teachers  in  the  town  of  Guanzate  had  distinguished  them- 
selves by  their  virulent  hostility  to  Christianity.  A  dialogue  between 
one  of  these  teachers  and  a  pupil  is  quoted: — "Where  have  you 
been?"  "In  the  church  to  be  taught  my  catechism."  "May  you 
and  your  God  go  to  perdition  in  your  church!"  Another  dialogue 
was  as  follows:— "What  book  is  that?"  "The  catechism."  "What  a 
little  fool  you  are  to  learn  those  absurdities!"  With  these  words 
the  teacher  seized  the  book  from  the  child's  hands,  and  tore  it  in 
pieces.  One  day,  another  of  these  teachers  became  suddenly  in- 
furiated by  the  sight  of  the  Crucifix  in  the  hall.  He  therefore 
attacked  it  with  fury,  tore  it  from  the  wall,  and,  with  an  accompani- 
ment of  oaths,  kicked  it  through  the  schoolroom  towards  the  stove, 
with  the  intention  of  burning  it.  Fortunately  a  pious  hand  was  able 
to  rescue  in  time  the  figure  of  the  Divine  Sacrifice.  These  facts  are 
stated  by  the  group  of  Fathers  to  be  absolutely  true  and  authentic, 
"as  many  witnesses  can  testify."  Moreover,  these  acts  and  words 
of  sacrilege  were  done  and  said,  not  before  older  lads,  who  would 
perhaps  have  resented  them,  but  before  innocent  little  children  of 
the  primary  grades.  Accordingly,  on  the  3rd  of  April,  1920,  a  formal 
protest  to  the  Italian  authorities  was  made  by  some  of  the  inhabitants 


THE  AWAKENING 


31 


of  the  place,  including  numerous  fathers  and  two  hundred  mothers, 
who  declared  that  they  wished  that  their  children  should  be  brought 
up  as  Christians. 

Guanzate  is,  of  course,  only  one  of  thousands  of  Italian  towhs 
where  religious  teaching  is  to-day  either  refused  or  neglected;  and 
the  teacher,  guilty  of  kicking  the  Cross  of  our  Lord  through  the 
schoolroom,  has  doubtless  many  actual  or  would-be  imitators.  The 
citizens  of  that  one  community  have  openly  protested,  but  in  how 
many  other  villages  are  the  people  silent,  either  intimidated,  or 
rendered  infidels  themselves  by  such  impiety! 

In  England  and  America  such  acts  of  violent  hostility  are  rare,  but 
there  are  many  atheists  in  those  enlightened  lands  who,  believing 
that  theirs  is  the  "religion  of  the  future,"  desire  to  instruct  their 
children  in  the  coming  creed.  Accordingly,  in  London,  Liverpool  and 
other  British  cities,  as  well  as  in  some  American  ones^  Sunday-schools 
have  been  instituted  by  Radical  Socialists  for  that  purpose!  The 
Rev.  Dr.  N.  D.  Hillis,  of  Brooklyn,  stated  recently  that  there  are  in 
New  York  City  alone  about  12,000  children  taught  every  Sunday  in 
Socialist  or  Anarchist  schools  that  there  is  no  God,  and  that  the 
precepts  and  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  are  absurdities! 

A  textbook  is  used  in  these  Sunday-schools,  in  which  occur,  among 
many  others,  the  following  questions  and  answers: — 

Question:— ^W[i2X  is  God? 

Answer: — God  is  a  word,  used  to  designate  an  imaginary  being, 
which  people  have  themselves  devised. 

Question: — How  did  man  originate? 

Answer:— }vLSt  as  did  all  animals,  by  evolution  from  lower  kinds. 

Question: — Has  man  an  immortal  soul,  as  Christianity  teaches? 

Answer: — Man  has  no  soul;  it  is  only  an  imagination. 

Question: — Is  it  true  that  God  has  ever  been  revealed? 

Answer: — As  there  is  no  God,  he  could  not  reveal  himself. 

Question: — What  is  heaven? 

Answer: — Heaven  is  an  imaginary  place,  which  churches  have  de- 
vised to  entice  their  believers. 

Question: — ^Who  is  Jesus  Christ? 

^njw^r:— There  is  no  God,  therefore  there  can  be  no  Son  of  God. 

Question: — Is  Christianity  desirable? 

Answer: — Christianity  is  not  advantageous  to  us,  but  harmful.  It 
is  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  mankind;  therefore 
it  is  the  duty  of  every  citizen  to  help  wipe  out  Christianity, 

Question: — ^What  is  our  duty  when  we  have  learned  there  is  no 
God? 

Answer: — ^We  should  teach  this  knowledge  to  others. 

Question: — Do  you  owe  a  duty  to  God? 

Answer: — There  is  no  God,  and  therefore  we  owe  him  no  duty. 

This  is  indeed  an  appalling  state  of  things,  the  full  significance  of 
which  will  be  seen  only  when  an  entire  generation  shall  have  grown 


32 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


to  manhood  without  belief  in  God  and  immortality;  for  such  a 
training  substitutes  for  the  hitherto  accepted  code  of  morals  one 
that  incites  to  crime  or  bestial  degradation.  If  God  is  totally 
excluded  from  the  popular  mind,  and  if  the  masses  are  persuaded 
that  the  life  beyond  the  grave  is  a  mirage,  that  there  will  never  be 
a  dispensation  of  rewards  and  punishments  by  Almighty  God,  and 
that  man's  only  duty  is  to  grab  the  most  of  earth's  good  things,— 
then  civilisation  is  to  cease,  and  man  will  soon  degenerate  to  savagery. 
We  see  this  in  the  utterances  of  these  modern  anarchists.  In  the 
Umanitd,  Nuova,  the  paper  of  the  Italian  anarchist,  Enrico  Mala- 
testa,  appears  the  following: — "So  long  as  a  sorrow-stricken  woman 
kneels  down  before  an  altar  and  derives  therefrom  any  comfort  and 
relief,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  make  a  revolution  effectively;  so  long 
as  children  shall  be  reared  on  the  knees  of  such  mothers,  those  chil- 
dren will  never  be  the  men  who  are  called  to  form  the  new  humanity, 
but  idiots,  such  as  we  see  around  us  in  such  numbers  to-day  1" 

Now  true  humanity,  whether  old  or  new,  has  hitherto  regarded  a 
mother's  pious  love  as  the  most  sacred  thing  on  earth.  The 
humanity  of  the  future,  however,  is  to  rid  itself  of  such  weakness  and 
idiocy!  One  marvels  that  a  man  can  write  such  words  without  a 
chill  of  horror  creeping  over  him  and  paralysing  the  hand  that  holds 
the  pen.  In  such  monsters  we  comprehend  at  last  the  horrible 
cruelties  of  atheistic  Bolshevism.  Materialism,  Socialism,  anarchy,— 
these  are  three  steps  which  logically  follow  one  another: — rocks, 
on  to  which  a  rising  tide  of  lawlessness  is  driving  us.  Much  of  the 
so-called  "Socialism,"  which  is  undermining  the  religion  and  morality 
of  the  masses,  is  atheistic.  Its  radical  leaders  frankly  admit  it.  "The 
future,"  says  one  of  them,  "must  belong  to  atheism."  It  is  signifi- 
cant that  the  French  Socialist,  Proudhon,  who  affirmed  that  "Prop- 
erty is  theft,"  also  wrote: — ^"The  first  duty  of  an  intelligent  and  free 
man  is  to  drive  incessantly  from  his  mind  and  conscience  the  idea 
of  God;  because  God,  if  He  does  exist,  is  essentially  hostile  to  our 
nature,  and  we  elevate  ourselves  in  proportion  as  we  rid  ourselves 
of  His  authority.  Each  step  we  take  is  a  victory,  in  which  we  crush 
the  Deity!" 

The  sun  of  hvmianity  at  present  seems  to  be  eclipsed,  and  what 
is  threatening  us  is  not  only  atheistic  anarchy,  but  hopelessness  and 
blank  despair.  We  seem  already  to  have  entered  the  penumbra  of 
this  spiritual  obscuration,  and  to  be  suffering  from  incurable  pessi- 
mism. When  the  great  Roman  Empire  sickened  under  such  a 
malady,  a  new  and  virile  race  was  in  reserve  to  give  it  fresh  vitality; 
but  there  is  no  new  race  at  hand  for  us.  Society  has  grown  so  old 
that  godlessness  will  now  prove  fatal  to  it,  if  it  gains  supremacy. 
The  globe  is  circumnavigated;  the  races  are  so  unified  that  even 
mental  sicknesses  are  now  contagious;  and  from  the  taint  of  atheism 


THE  AWAKENING 


33 


no  people  could  be  long  immune.    One  cannot,  therefore,  view  the 
future  without  apprehension. 

"Never  in  the  history  of  man,"  says  a  writer  "On  Theism"  in  an 
English  Review,  "has  so  terrific  a  calamity  befallen  the  race,  as 
that  which  all  who  look  may  now  behold  advancing  as  a  deluge; 
black  with  destruction,  resistless  in  might,  uprooting  our  most 
cherished  hopes,  engulfing  our  most  precious  creed,  and  burying  our 
highest  life  in  desolation.  The, floodgates  of  infidelity  are  open,  and 
atheism  is  upon  us." 

Donoso  Cortez,  the  eloquent  Spanish  writer  and  diplomatist,  well 
said:— "i4  combination  of  material  wealth  and  religious  poverty  is 
invariably  followed  by  one  of  those  immense  catastrophes,  which 
write  themselves  for  ever  on  the  memory  of  man."  Are  not  these 
words  being  verified  to-day  before  our  eyes?  Evil  forces,  originating 
from  Mammonism,  luxury  and  godlessness,  have  overmastered  us,-" 
and  are  now  beating  down,  or  undermining,  our  "Towers  of  Babel" 
and  "Gardens  of  Lucullus,"  leaving  us  naked,  disillusioned  and  be- 
reaved, with  millions  of  the  finest  specimens  of  our  manhood, — the 
victims  of  the  World  War,— rotting  in  human  shambles!  To  some 
this  means  the  total  loss  of  faith  in  God  and  in  religion;  to  others, 
on  the  contrary,  it  proves  that  God  is  the  only  thing  essential,— the 
want  of  which  is  killing  us. 

As  for  myself,  I  felt  convinced,  through  close  acquaintance  with 
a  war-cursed,  irreligious  world,  that  we  had  come  into  this  lamentable 
state  through  our  neglect  of  God  and  through  a  lack  of  moral  and 
religious  training;  and  I  was  therefore  anxious  to  be  one  of  those 
who  turned  their  faces  upward  towards  the  Divine  and  Supernatural, 
rather  than  one  of  those  who  in  despair  were  ready  to  "curse  God 
and  die."  Hence,  having  reached  this  point,  consistency  com- 
pelled me  to  go  further,  and  to  seek  material  for  the  reconstruction 
of  my  long-lost  faith. 


if. 

»■ 


Chapter  IV 

SEARCHING  FOR   UGHT    {THE   EXISTENCE   OP   GOD) 

"Where  wast  thou,  when  I  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth  ?  De- 
clare, if  thou  hast  understanding  ?  Who  hath  laid  the  measures  thereof, 
if  thou  knowest,  or  who  hath  stretched  the  line  upon  it?  Whereupon 
are  the  foundations  thereof  fastened,  or  who  laid  the  cornerstone 
thereof,  when  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy?  Or  who  shut  up  the  sea  with  doors  .  .  .  and  said, 
Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no  further,  and  here  shall  thy  proud 
waves  be  stayed?  Where  is  the  way  where  light  dwelleth?  And  as 
for  darkness,  where  is  the  place  thereof?  .  .  .  Canst  thou  bind  the 
sweet  influences  of  Pleiades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion?  Canst  thou 
bring  forth  Mazzaroth  in  his  season?  Or  canst  thou  guide  Arcturus 
and  his  sons  ?" — Job  xxxviii. 

"When  I  consider  Thy  heavens,  the  work  of  Thy  fingers. 
The  moon  and  stars  which  Thou  hast  ordained, 
What  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him, 
And  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him  V* 

Psalm  viii.  3-4. 

"It  is  absolutely  certain  that  we  are  in  the  presence  of  an  Infinite, 
Eternal  Energy,  from  which  all  things  proceed." — Herbert  Spencer. 

"We  are  unmistakably  shown  through  Nature  that  she  depends  upon 
an  ever-acting  Creator  and  Ruler" — Lord  Kelvin:  Presidential  Ad- 
dress  British  Association,  1871. 

FIRST  of  all,  could  I  believe  in  God?  The  words  of  Immanuel 
Kant  recurred  to  me: — ^'^Two  things  overwhelm  me  with 
awe, — the  starry  heavens  and  man^s  accountability  to  God." 
The  study  of  astronomy  had  always  been  to  me  the  most  elevating 
and  attractive  of  all  intellectual  pursuits.  Schiaparelli  well  named 
it  the  "Science  of  Infinity  and  Eternity."  With  Kant's  impressive 
words  in  mind,  one  cloudless  night,  I  took  occasion  to  survey  a 
portion  of  God's  stellar  universe,  with  the  determination,  under  its 
enthralling  influence,  to  hold  communion  with  my  soul. 

Never  before  had  the  mysteries  of  the  sidereal  worlds  app)eared 
to  me  so  awe-inspiring.  In  that  immeasurable  realm  of  space,  in 
which  a  hundred  million  suns  pursue  their  solitary  paths,  what 
beauty,  order  and  precision  were  discernible  I  I  knew  that  all  that 
area  was  occupied  with  matter  in  perpetual  motion,  either  as  inter- 
stellar ether,  vibrating  with  waves  of  light  or  electricity,  or  else  in 
various  stages  of  evolution  or  devolution, — star-dust  transforming 
itself  slowly  into  suns  and  planets,  and  these  resolving  finally  again 
to  star-dust. 

I  knew  that  some  of  these  celestial  bodies  are  still  gaseous,  others 

34 


SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT 


35 


solid;  some  inconceivably  hot,  others  comparatively  cooled;  while 
others  still  are  absolutely  frigid,  burned  out  and  black,  with  all  their 
planets  tenantless,— the  darkened  orbs  more  numerous  probably 
than  the  shining  ones;  for  all  the  stars  which  we  can  see  are. merely 
those  which  at  this  stage  of  their  careers  happen  to  be  for  the  time 
so  highly  heated  as  to  be  luminous. 

Beyond  that  obscure,  lifeless  stage,  however,  there  seems  to  be 
another ;  for,  as  those  solar  bodies  doubtless  had  a  fiery  origin,  sp 
they  will  ultimately  have  a  fiery  end. 

"As  surely,"  says  Sir  William  Thompson,  "as  the  weights  of  a 
clock  run  down  to  their  lowest  position,  from  which  they  can  never 
rise  again,  unless  some  energy  is  communicated  to  them  from  some 
source,  not  yet  exhausted,  so  surely  must  planet  after  planet  creep 
in,  age  by  age,  toward  the  sun."  The  same  planetary  decrepitude 
and  cosmical  death  also  awaits  our  solar  orb  itself,  if  it  be  true  that 
it  is  likewise  moving  round  some  vastly  distant  centre  of  attraction. 
In  fact,  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  this  stupendous  universe,  as 
we  know  it,  once  had  a  beginning  and  must  have  an  end.  Between 
that  beginning  and  that  ending  some  mighty  scheme  is  evidently  in 
a  process  of  progression,  and  we  are  a  part  of  it!  Order,  beauty  and 
sublimity  are  everywhere  discernible  in  this  process.  Many  of  the 
glittering  points  of  fire,  at  which  we  gaze  from  the  thin  rind  of  our 
relatively  tiny  globe,  are  "double"  or  even  "multiple"  stars,— huge 
orbs  revolving  round  a  central  point  of  gravity  with  stately  motion, 
in  dual,  treble  or  even  quintuple  unions,  which  become  still  more 
marvellous  from  the  fact  that  they  have  frequently  different  and 
even  complementary  colours!  What  shall  we  say,  too,  of  the  stellar 
clusters,  which  telescopes  resolve  into  groups  of  thousands  of  suns, 
unquestionably  bound  together  in  some  wonderful  affinity;  wheeling 
about  each  other  in  gigantic  orbits,  yet  in  their  inconceivable  remote- 
ness from  our  earth,  seemingly  massed  in  one  unbroken  blaze,  like 
jewelled  mitres  of  supernal  splendour? 

I  gazed  long  also  at  the  amazing  Milky  Way,— the  "ground  plan 
of  the  universe,"  the  "broad  and  ample  road,  whose  dust  is  gold," 
the  pathway  of  innumerable  suns,  perhaps  the  equatorial  zone  of  the 
whole  stellar  universe!  In  this  vast,  shoreless  sea  of  space  we,— 
earth-imprisoned  voyagers,— find  ourselves  on  the  surface  of  a  tiny 
satellite,  whirling  upon  its  axis  at  the  rate  of  a  thousand  miles  an 
hour.  Although  we  feel  no  motion,  not  only  are  we  turning  thus, 
but  are  also  being  borne  along  our  planet's  path  around  the  sun 
with  a  velocity  of  1,080  miles  a  minute,  or  one  and  a  half  million 
mUes  a  day!  Moreover,  in  addition  to  all  this,  our  entire  solar 
system  is  sweeping  onward  through  infinity  at  a  rate  of  400,000,000 
miles  a  year,  and  entering  thus  continually  new  regions  of  sidereal 
space!     Yet  is  there  no  appreciable  danger  of  collision;  for  our 


36 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


solar  colony,  vast  though  its  limits  are,  is  but  a  point  in  a  gigantic 
solitude.  Our  isolation  is  almost  inconceivable.  Our  nearest  astral 
neighbour  moves  at  a  distance  of  275,000  times  the  earth's  distance 
from  the  sun,  which  is  itself  92,000,000  miles  1  Yet  this  star  is  ex- 
ceptionally nearl 

And  what  we  do  in  our  small  corner  of  the  universe,  millions  of 
other  suns  and  satellites  are  doing, — swinging  in  perfect  equilibrium 
millions  of  miles  from  one  another,  and  moving  with  such  perfect 
regularity  that  most  of  their  vast  changes  can  be  foretold  to  a  minute 
centuries  in  advance,  or  ascertained  at  any  date  of  the  historic  past  I 

Yet  the  same  law  that  guides  the  motion  of  Arcturus  regulates  the 
falling  leaf.  The  same  Divine  hand  paints  the  sunset  glory  and 
the  petals  of  the  rose.  Proofs  of  design  and  wisdom,  which  over- 
power one  in  his  study  of  astronomy,  are  just  as  evident  in  every 
other  sphere  of  science.  The  revelations  of  the  microscope  are  as 
marvellous  as  those  of  the  telescope.  The  same  supreme  Intelligence 
is  discoverable  in  the  infinitely  small  as  in  the  infinitely  great.  The 
ornithologist  finds  an  adaptation  of  means  to  ends  in  the  wonderful 
structure  of  birds;  the  zoologist  traces  it  in  every  form  of  animal  life; 
the  botanist  is  filled  with  reverence  and  admiration  in  his  investiga- 
tion of  the  fertilisation  of  flowers;  the  worker  in  the  laboratory  is  lost 
in  wonder  at  the  mysteries  of  chemical  affinities;  and  if  "an  undevout 
astronomer  is  mad,"  so  also  is  an  undevout  investigator  of  the  uni- 
verse in  any  field  of  knowledge  he  may  enter. 

Thus  I  was  recently  much  impressed  by  reading  in  an  old  British 
Review  some  facts  and  statistics  in  regard  to  that  essential  requisite 
for  life  of  any  kind  upon  our  planet, — irrigation.  Water  is  really  the 
life-blood  of  our  earth,  yet  we  accept  its  rhythmical  migration  from 
sea  to  sky,  and  from  the  sky  to  sea  again,  as  lightly  as  we  do  the 
circulation  of  the  vital  fluid  through  our  veins.  How  wonderfully 
perfect  is  the  process  of  evaporation,  for  ever  going  on  from  all  the 
lakes  and  oceans  of  our  globe, — as  from  those  mighty  reservoirs  the 
solar  heat  draws  moisture  upward  in  the  form  of  vapour  I  For  water, 
being  many  hundred  times  heavier  than  air,  could  in  no  other  form 
be  lifted  several  miles  above  the  earth.  Yet  this  supply,  prodigious 
though  it  be,  floats  lightly  in  the  empyrean  in  the  shape  of  clouds, 
— huge,  sunlit  galleons,  filled  with  precious  cargoes,  waiting  patiently 
to  be  unloaded.  These  vaporous  ships  are  filled  and  emptied  with- 
out human  hands;  and  sail  to  their  respective  ports  with- 
out a  helmsman,  chart  or  compass.  Currents  of  air,  like  currents  in 
the  sea,  convey  them  far  into  the  hearts  of  continents,  that  they 
may  there  discharge  their  freights  over  the  very  fields  in  which 
stand  waiting  husbandmen.  The  total  quantity  of  water  thus  dis- 
tributed in  rain  or  snow  is  inconceivable.  Sometimes  a  single  cloud 
contains  thousands  of  tons  of  liquid,  which,  if  released  at  once. 


SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT 


37 


would  sweep  away  both  vegetation  and  the  soil  itself;  yet  with  what 
delicate  precision  is  its  distribution  usually  effected!  True,  cloud- 
bursts do  sometimes  occur,  as  if  to  remind  man  what  migjit  always 
be  the  case,  but  for  the  care  of  Providence;  yet,  as  a  rule,  nothing 
can  be  more  gentle  than  the  fall  of  moisture  to  the  earth.  The  rain 
sifts  through  the  atmosphere  in  billions  of  small  drops,  as  if  poured 
through  a  finely  woven  sieve,  alighting  from  a  dizzy  height  without 
the  crushing  of  a  leaf  or  flower ;  and,  on  its  way,  cleansing  the  air  of 
its  impurities,  as  later  on,  in  the  form  of  rivers,  it  will  sweep  them 
to  the  sea.  Man  can  do  nothing  to  determine  the  delivery  of  this 
essential  element;  but  at  the  touch  of  some  cool  mountain  peak  or 
by  the  contact  of  a  chilling  wind  the  magic  "Open  Sesame"  is  spoken, 
and  the  rain  descends!  Suppose  we  saw  all  this  for  the  first  time, 
instead  of  being  accustomed  to  it  from  our  childhood,  and  hence 
accepting  it,  like  so  many  other  blessings,  as  a  matter  of  course: 
could  we  then  fail  to  see  in  this  impressive  scheme  the  plan  of  an 
intelligent  Creator? 

Filled  with  these  thoughts,  I  turned  back  to  my  library,  and 
looked  through  books  which,  fifty  years  before,  had  seemed  to  me  a 
new  evangel.  I  took  down  Spencer's  writings;— not  his  "First 
Principles"  this  time,  but  his  last,— found  in  his  mournful  auto- 
biography. Here  I  read: ^"Behind  these  mysteries  lies  the  all- 
embracing  mystery, — whence  this  universal  transformation,  which 
has  gone  on  unceasingly  throughout  a  past  eternity,  and  will  go  on 
unceasingly  throughout  a  future  eternity?  And  along  with  this 
rises  the  paralysing  thought,— what  if,  of  all  that  is  thus  incompre- 
hensible to  us,  there  exists  no  comprehension  anywhere!  No  wonder 
that  men  take  refuge  in  authoritative  dogma."  I  also  turned  to  the 
remarkable  passage  concerning  Spencer  in  Henry  Murray's  Memoirs: 
—"Walking  up  and  down  the  lawn,  ...  I  told  him  [Spencer] 
what  a  load  of  personal  obligation  I  felt  under  to  his  Tirst  Prin- 
ciples,' and  added  that  I  intended  to  devote  the  reading  hours  of  the 
next  two  or  three  years  to  a  thorough  study  of  his  entire  output. 
What  have  you  read  of  mine?'  he  asked.  I  told  him.  *Then,'  said 
Spencer,  *I  should  say  that  you  have  read  quite  enough.'  He  fell 
silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  added:— 7  have  passed  my  life  in 

beating  the  air/  " 

I  turned  to  my  old  notebooks,  and  found  records  there,  which 
I  had  once  inserted,  without  appreciating  their  full  significance. 
Among  them  were  these  words  from  Sir  Isaac  Newton:— "The 
whole  variety  of  created  things  could  arise  only  from  the  design  and 
will  of  a  Being  existing  of  Himself.  This  exact  machinery  of  suns 
and  planets  could  not  originate  except  from  the  plan  and  power  of 
an  intelligent  and  mighty  Being."  Another  page  contained  these 
words  from  Darwin:— "Another  source  of  conviction  for  the  exist- 


3S  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

eoct  of  God,— connected  with  reason  rather  than  with  feelings, — 
follows  from  the  extreme  difficulty,  or  rather  impossibility,  of  con- 
ceiving this  immense  and  wonderful  universe,  including  man,  with 
his  capacity  of  looking  forwards  far  into  futurity,  as  the  result  of 
blind  chance  or  necessity.  When  thus  reflecting,  /  jeel  impelled 
to  look  to  a  First  Cause,  having  an  intelligent  mind  in  some  degree 
aiudogDus  to  that  of  man."  Moreover,  in  his  "Fertilisation  of 
Orchids*'  Darwin  speaks  of  "beautiful  contrivances"  and  "mar- 
vellous adjustments," — words  which  clearly  f)oint  to  a  directive 
IntelUgence.  The  great  astronomer,  Kepler,  said: — "My  supreme 
desire  is  to  find  in  myself  the  God,  whom  I  find  everywhere  outside" 
No  less  remarkable  are  the  words  of  Sir  W.  Siemens,  uttered  in 
1M4: — ^**We  find  that  all  knowledge  must  lead  up  to  one  great 
result, — that  of  an  intelligent  recognition  of  the  Creator  through 
His  works."  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  who  had  one  of  the  keenest  intel- 
lects ever  given  to  man,  declared  in  his  essay  on  "Atheism": — "I 
had  rather  believe  all  the  fables  in  the  Legend,  and  the  Talmud  and 
the  Koran,  than  that  this  universal  frame  is  without  a  mind."  Lord 
Kdvin,  one  of  the  greatest  of  modern  scientists,  has  affirmed  that 
•^Overpowering  proofs  of  intelligence  and  benevolent  design  lie 
mround  us,  showing  us  through  Nature  the  influence  of  a  free  will, 
and  teaching  us  that  all  living  beings  depend  upon  one  everlasting 
Creator  and  Ruler/'  Dr.  Bence  Jones,  in  his  "Life  of  Faraday," 
says  of  that  great  discoverer  in  chemistry  and  electricity: — ^*'His 
•tandard  of  duty  was  supernatural.  ...  It  was  formed  entirely  on 
what  be  held  to  be  the  Revelation  of  the  will  of  God  in  the  written 
word,  and  throughout  all  his  life  his  faith  led  him  to  act  up  to  the 
very  letter  of  it." 

UTiy,  then,  did  we  poor,  amateur  investigators  of  half  a  century 
IfO  ahvays  prefer  the  latest  atheistic  school  of  scientists  for  our 
teachers,  rather  than  master  minds,  like  those  which  I  have  quoted, 
anqr  of  whom  were  also  our  contemporaries,  and  whose  researches 
led  them,  not  to  blank  agnosticism,  but  to  the  adoration  of  their 
Creator?  I  do  not  know,  unless  we  thought  the  newest  theory 
must  always  be  the  truest,  and  that  the  latest  word  of  some  experi- 
■cstalist  must  also  be  the  final  word  of  science.  At  all  events,  we 
were  quite  positive  that  we  knew  already,  or  would  soon  discover, 
all  the  secrets  of  the  universe  which  the  human  mind  could  grasp  1 
Yet  Lord  Kelvin  said,  as  recently  as  1896,  in  Glasgow:— "One  word 
characterises  the  most  strenuous  efforts  for  the  advancement  of 
science  that  I  have  made  perseveringly  for  fifty-five  years; — that 
word  is  failure,  I  know  no  more  of  the  electric  and  magnetic  forces, 
of  the  relation  of  either  to  electricit^j  and  ponderable  matter,  or  of 
chemical  affinity,  than  I  knew  and  tried  to  teach  my  students  in 
my  first  session  as  professor!"    The  truth  is,  that,  in  spite  of  such 


SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT 


39 


achievements  as  determining  the  speed  of  light  and  the  composition 
of  the  stars,  we  are  still  unable  to  explain  the  origin  and  essence  of 
the  simplest  life,  whether  it  be  our  own,  or  that  of  the  "flower  in 
the  crannied  wall."  / 

We  have  discovered  only  externals.  To  explain  essentially  the 
simplest  phenomena  of  light,  heat,  force,  electricity  and  gravitation 
is  beyond  our  power.  Thus  Newton  said: — "I  know  the  laws  of 
attraction,  but  if  you  ask  me  what  attraction  is,  I  cannot  tell," 
Professor  Tyndall  also  said,  in  reference  to  the  waves  of  sound  that 
reach  the  brain  along  the  auditory  nerve, — there,  as  it  were,  to  be 
translated  into  thoughts: — **Why  the  motion  of  that  nervous  matter 
can  thus  excite  our  consciousness  is  a  mystery  which  the  human 
mind  cannot  fathom.  The  problem  of  the  connection  of  body  and 
soul  is  as  insoluble  in  its  modern  form  as  it  was  in  the  prescientific 
ages.  ...  If  you  ask  him  [the  materialist],  what  is  this  'matter'  of 
which  we  have  been  discoursing;  who  or  what  divided  it  into  mole- 
cules; who  or  what  impressed  upon  them  this  necessity  of  running 
into  organic  forms,  he  has  no  answer.  .  .  .  Science  also  is  mute  in 
reply  to  these  questions." 

But  if  Professor  Tyndall  thus  concedes  his  ignorance  of  material 
causes,  he  ought  not  to  imply,  as  he  did  in  his  address  before  the 
British  Association,  that  material  causes  alone  are  sufficient  to  pro- 
duce, not  merely  the  material  world,  but  also  the  world  of  reason 
and  intelligence;  and  to  say  that  he  can  see  in  matter  "the  promise 
and  the  potency  of  every  form  and  quality  of  life,"  including  there- 
fore human  life,  with  all  its  intellectual  capacities.  What  is  the 
reason  of  this  preference  on  the  part  of  many  scientists  to  recognise 
such  "promise  and  potency"  in  matter,  rather  than  in  mind? 
Whence  comes  their  apparent  satisfaction  in  giving  to  mankind  a 
material,  rather  than  a  spiritual  origin? 

"O  star-eyed  Science,  hast  thou  wandered  there 
To  waft  us  home  the  message  of  despair  ?" 

For  with  that  grim  solution  of  the  riddle  of  the  universe,  we  lose 
belief  in  God  and  personal  immortality,  and  Tyndall  himself  speaks 
of  coming  generations  still  trying  to  comprehend  earth's  mysteries, 

^^<ages  after  you  and  I,  like  streaks  of  morning  cloud,  shall  have 

melted  into  the  infinite  azure  of  the  past." 

But  when  we  thus  attempt  to  banish  the  Creator  from  the  uni- 
verse, we  forget  our  mental  limitations.  Even  in  our  perception  of 
phenomena  we  live  in  very  narrow  limits.  Sound-waves,  which  fall 
too  slowly  or  too  fast  upon  our  ears,  we  cannot  hear.  Their  loudest 
echoes  leave  our  auditory  nerves  unmoved;  and  there  are  light- 
waves, which  for  similar  reasons  do  not  register  themselves  upon  our 
brains.    Two-thirds  of  the  rays  emitted  by  the  sun  fail  to  awaken 


38 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


ence  of  God,— connected  with  reason  rather  than  with  feelings, — 
follows  from  the  extreme  difficulty,  or  rather  impossibility,  of  con- 
ceiving this  inmiense  and  wonderful  universe,  including  man,  with 
his  capacity  of  looking  forwards  far  into  futurity,  as  the  result  of 
blind  chance  or  necessity.  When  thus  reflecting,  /  jeel  impelled 
to  look  to  a  First  Cause,  having  an  intelligent  mind  in  some  degree 
analogous  to  that  of  man."  Moreover,  in  his  "Fertilisation  of 
Orchids'*  Darwin  speaks  of  "beautiful  contrivances"  and  "mar- 
vellous adjustments," — ^words  which  clearly  point  to  a  directive 
Intelligence.  The  great  astronomer,  Kepler,  said: — ^**My  supreme 
desire  is  to  find  in  myself  the  God,  whom  I  find  everywhere  outside,'* 
No  less  remarkable  are  the  words  of  Sir  W.  Siemens,  uttered  in 
1884: — ^"We  find  that  all  knowledge  must  lead  up  to  one  great 
result, — that  of  an  intelligent  recognition  of  the  Creator  through 
His  works."  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  who  had  one  of  the  keenest  intel- 
lects ever  given  to  man,  declared  in  his  essay  on  "Atheism": — ^**I 
had  rather  believe  all  the  fables  in  the  Legend,  and  the  Talmud  and 
the  Koran,  than  that  this  universal  frame  is  without  a  mind."  Lord 
Kelvin,  one  of  the  greatest  of  modern  scientists,  has  affirmed  that 
"Overpowering  proofs  of  intelligence  and  benevolent  design  lie 
around  us,  showing  us  through  Nature  the  influence  of  a  free  will, 
and  teaching  us  that  all  living  beings  depend  upon  one  everlasting 
Creator  and  Ruler."  Dr.  Bence  Jones,  in  his  "Life  of  Faraday," 
says  of  that  great  discoverer  in  chemistry  and  electricity: — ^**His 
standard  of  duty  was  supernatural.  ...  It  was  formed  entirely  on 
what  he  held  to  be  the  Revelation  of  the  will  of  God  in  the  written 
word,  and  throughout  all  his  life  his  faith  led  him  to  act  up  to  the 
very  letter  of  it." 

Why,  then,  did  we  poor,  amateur  investigators  of  half  a  century 
ago  always  prefer  the  latest  atheistic  school  of  scientists  for  our 
teachers,  rather  than  master  minds,  like  those  which  I  have  quoted, 
many  of  whom  were  also  our  contemporaries,  and  whose  researches 
led  them,  not  to  blank  agnosticism,  but  to  the  adoration  of  their 
Creator?  I  do  not  know,  unless  we  thought  the  newest  theory 
must  always  be  the  truest,  and  that  the  latest  word  of  some  experi- 
mentalist must  also  be  the  final  word  of  science.  At  all  events,  we 
were  quite  positive  that  we  knew  already,  or  would  soon  discover, 
all  the  secrets  of  the  universe  which  the  human  mind  could  grasp! 
Yet  Lord  Kelvin  said,  as  recently  as  1896,  in  Glasgow: — ^**One  word 
characterises  the  most  strenuous  efforts  for  the  advancement  of 
science  that  I  have  made  perseveringly  for  fifty-five  years; — that 
word  is  failure.  I  know  no  more  of  the  electric  and  magnetic  forces, 
of  the  relation  of  either  to  electricity  and  ponderable  matter,  or  of 
chemical  affinity,  than  I  knew  and  tried  to  teach  my  students  in 
my  first  session  as  professor!"    The  truth  is,  that,  in  spite  of  such 


SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT 


39 


achievements  as  determining  the  speed  of  light  and  the  composition 
of  the  stars,  we  are  still  unable  to  explain  the  origin  and  essence  of 
the  simplest  life,  whether  it  be  our  own,  or  that  of  the  "flower  in 
the  crannied  wall." 

We  have  discovered  only  externals.  To  explain  essentially  the 
simplest  phenomena  of  light,  heat,  force,  electricity  and  gravitation 
is  beyond  our  power.  Thus  Newton  said: — "I  know  the  laws  of 
attraction,  but  if  you  ask  me  what  attraction  is,  I  cannot  tdl." 
Professor  Tyndall  also  said,  in  reference  to  the  waves  of  sound  that 
reach  the  brain  along  the  auditory  nerve, — ^there,  as  it  were,  to  be 
translated  into  thoughts: — ''Why  the  motion  of  that  nervous  matter 
can  thus  excite  our  consciousness  is  a  mystery  which  the  human 
mind  cannot  fathom.  The  problem  of  the  connection  of  body  and 
soul  is  as  insoluble  in  its  modern  form  as  it  was  in  the  prescientific 
ages.  ...  If  you  ask  him  [the  materialist],  what  is  this  'matter'  of 
which  we  have  been  discoursing;  who  or  what  divided  it  into  mole- 
cules; who  or  what  impressed  upon  them  this  necessity  of  running 
into  organic  forms,  he  has  no  answer.  .  .  .  Science  also  is  mute  in 
reply  to  these  questions." 

But  if  Professor  Tyndall  thus  concedes  his  ignorance  of  material 
causes,  he  ought  not  to  imply,  as  he  did  in  his  address  before  the 
British  Association,  that  material  causes  alone  are  sufficient  to  pro- 
duce, not  merely  the  material  world,  but  also  the  world  of  reason 
and  intelligence;  and  to  say  that  he  can  see  in  matter  "the  promise 
and  the  potency  of  every  form  and  quality  of  life,"  including  there- 
fore human  life,  with  all  its  intellectual  capacities.  What  is  the 
reason  of  this  preference  on  the  part  of  many  scientists  to  recognise 
such  "promise  and  potency"  in  matter,  rather  than  in  mind? 
Whence  comes  their  apparent  satisfaction  in  giving  to  mankind  a 
material,  rather  than  a  spiritual  origin? 

"O  star-eyed  Science,  hast  thou  wandered  there 
To  waft  us  home  the  message  of  despair?" 

For  with  that  grim  solution  of  the  riddle  of  the  universe,  we  lose 
belief  in  God  and  personal  immortality,  and  Tyndall  himself  speaks 
of  coming  generations  still  trying  to  comprehend  earth's  mysteries, 
— ^"ages  after  you  and  I,  like  streaks  of  morning  cloud,  shall  have 
melted  into  the  infinite  azure  of  the  past." 

But  when  we  thus  attempt  to  banish  the  Creator  from  the  uni- 
verse, we  forget  our  mental  limitations.  Even  in  our  perception  of 
phenomena  we  live  in  very  narrow  limits.  Sound-waves,  which  fall 
too  slowly  or  too  fast  upon  our  ears,  we  cannot  hear.  Their  loudest 
echoes  leave  our  auditory  nerves  unmoved;  and  there  are  light- 
waves, which  for  similar  reasons  do  not  register  themselves  upon  our 
brains.    Two-thirds  of  the  rays  emitted  by  the  sun  fail  to  awaken 


40 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


in  the  human  eye  the  sense  of  vision,  but  move  entirely  outside  the 
power  of  our  optic  nerves  to  apprehend!  But  if  such  waves  of  light 
and  sound  continually  pass  our  eyes  and  ears  without  imparting  the 
least  intimation  of  their  presence,  there  must  exist  around  us,  out- 
side of  that  small  zone  of  apprehension  dominated  by  our  senses, 
another  world  of  physical  phenomena,  moving  to  other  ends  than 
ours. 

How  large  this  unseen,  silent  world  may  be  we  cannot  tell;  but 
since  it  is  an  actual  reality,  why  should  it  be  so  difficult  to  believe 
that  there  is  also  a  spiritual  realm,  lying  beyond  the  capacity  of  our 
present  spiritual  powers  to  perceive?  Is  not  our  gross  materialism 
due  principally  to  the  fact  that  we  forget  our  limitations  and  the 
infinite  distance  between  creature  and  Creator?  Though  we  cannot 
create  the  lowliest  flower,  alter  the  essential  character  of  the  smallest 
seed,  comprehend  the  primary  forces  hidden  in  a  tiny  acorn,  or  ex- 
plain the  origin  of  the  humblest  form  of  life,  which  floats  within  the 
sea  or  flutters  in  the  sun,  we  often  act  as  if  we  were  capable  of  criti- 
cising and  instructing  the  Creator  of  the  acorn  and  .  .  .  ArcturusI 

In  those  old  days,  with  what  incredible  assurance  we  ignored 
God;  finding  indeed  a  million  stars,  but  not  the  least  proof  of  their 
Maker!  Evolution  and  Protoplasm  were  then  words  to  conjure 
with.  But  granting  everything  that  evolutionists  have  a  right  to 
claim,  there  must  have  been  originally  an  Evolver;  and  there  may 
be  an  evolution  obedient  to  Divine  arrangement,  as  well  as  one 
obedient  to  blind  necessity.  The  former  is  indeed  the  sublimest 
possible  theory  of  the  Divine  method.  Allowing  that  the  primal 
germ  contained  all  possible  potentialities,  the  question  still  remains: 
— "Who  made  that  germ,  and  gave  it  those  potentialities?**  An  in- 
finite Volition  must  have  started  matter  on  its  journey,  and  ordered 
the  direction  of  its  evolution.  What  matters  the  modus  operandi, 
whether  by  ages  of  development,  or  by  special  creation,  provided  we 
acknowledge  a  Divine  Mind  as  the  great  Originator?  To  call  a  sub- 
stance "Protoplasm"  is  not  an  explanation  of  the  origin  of  life,  nor 
does  that  substance  obviate  the  need  of  a  First  Cause. 

Is  it  any  easier  or  more  rational  to  believe  in  an  eternal,  unin- 
telligent Protoplasm,  than  to  believe  in  an  eternal  and  intelligent 
God?  Even  if  we  refer  man  back  to  a  primeval  cell,  we  must 
acknowledge  that  a  cell  that  can  become  a  man, — with  all  his  en- 
dowments, moral,  mental  and  physical, — is  more  mysterious  than 
the  man  himself,  "Without  the  hypothesis  of  a  presiding  mind, 
directing  its  processes,  the  doctrine  of  evolution  is  a  greater  mys- 
tery than  that  of  special  creation"  (Maccoll,  "Christianity  in  Re- 
lation to  Science  and  Morals,"  p.  21). 

Professor  Wallace,  who  shares  with  Mr.  Darwin  the  credit  for 
discovering  the  theory  commonly  known  as  "Darwinism,"  affirms 


SEARCHING  FOR  LIGHT 


4X 


that  there  are  at  least  three  stages  in  the  development  of  the  organic 
world,  w/tere  some  new  cause  or  power  must  necessarily  have  come 
into  action.  The  first  stage  is  the  change  from  inorganic  to  organic, 
when  the  earliest  vegetable  cell  .  .  .  first  appeared;  the  second  stage 
is  that  of  the  introduction  of  consciousness, — animal  life;  the  third 
is  that  of  the  advent  of  Man,  with  his  powers  of  rational  thought 
and  speech. 

To  call  the  argument  from  design  old  and  "obsolete"  is  easy,  but 
to  answer  it  is  difficult.  For  this  reason  men  profess  to  be  tired  of 
it,  and  try  to  lessen  its  effectiveness  by  juggling  with  words.  The 
argument  is  old,  because  the  vast  majority  of  mankind  have  always 
recognised  the  evidences  of  design  in  Nature;  but  it  will  never 
become  obsolete,  so  long  as  telescopes  and  microscopes  exist,  and 
human  minds  perceive  and  reason  on  the  marvels  thus  revealed. 
The  argument  is  old,  but  so  is  the  coming  of  the  dawn ;  and  as  the 
one  will  always  force  itself  upon  the  vision,  so  will  the  other  force 
itself  upon  the  mind,  until  the  universe  shall  wax  old  like  a  garment, 
and  "all  the  hosts  of  heaven  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  heavens  shall 
be  rolled  together  as  a  scroll"  (Isa.  xxxiv.  4). 

The  famous  sceptic,  Hume,  accepted  the  argument  from  design, 
and  said: — ^**The  whole  frame  of  Nature  bespeaks  an  intelligent 
Author;  and  no  rational  inquirer  can,  after  serious  reflection,  sus- 
pend his  belief  a  moment  with  regard  to  the  primary  principles  of 
Theism  and  Religion."  To  look  upon  the  laws  which  regulate  the 
universe  as  entities,  that  need  no  God,  and  "of  themselves"  worked 
out  their  wondrous  combinations,  is  but  a  desperate  effort  to  accept 
any  hypothesis,  however  unreasonable,  rather  than  believe  the  only 
rational  explanation, — that  of  a  Creator,  As  Huxley  says,  the  laws 
of  Nature  are  not  agents,  but  merely  records  of  experience.  More- 
over, reason  demands  for  laws  a  Law-Giver;  design  necessitates  a 
Designer;  an  adaptation  of  means  to  ends  call  for  an  Adapter;  and 
world-building  implies  a  World-Builder.  We  are  compelled  to  choose 
between  believing  that  this  vast,  orderly  universe  is  governed  by 
Intelligence,  blind  Autonomy,  or  Chance.  But  in  the  face  of  all  the 
proofs  of  an  intelligent  Personality  in  Nature,  the  notion  of  imper- 
sonal Autonomy  becomes  untenable,  while  the  idea  that  Chance  in 
such  a  universe  as  this  can  take  the  place  of  a  Creator  is  still  more 
incredible,  and  by  all  the  laws  of  probability  impossible. 

When  we  walk  through  our  gardens  and  behold  the  tender  blos- 
soms of  the  apple  trees,  the  tendrils  of  the  ripening  vines,  the  deli- 
cate veinlets  of  the  iris,  and  the  exquisitely  tinted  petals  of  the 
rose,  can  we  persuade  ourselves  that  all  that  floral  loveliness  of 
form  and  colour  has  come  to  us  by  chance,  or  through  "unconscious 
chemistry"?  Nay,  would  not  such  an  origin  be  infinitely  more 
improbable  than  one  attributable  to  the  will  an^^  purpose  of  a  wise, 


42  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

beneficent  Creator?  Alas!  too  many  of  us  never  think  at  all  about 
the  origin  of  all  these  marvellous  phenomena.  We  have  become  so 
thoroughly  familiar  with  them,  that  we  accept  them  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  look  upon  them  with  the  heedlessness  of  animals.  It  is 
a  mournful  commentary  on  our  superficial  natures,  that  familiarity 
with  such  wonders  breeds  indifference.  "If,"  says  Emerson,  "the 
stars  should  appear  only  one  night  in  a  thousand  years,  how  would 
men  believe  and  adore,  and  preserve  for  many  generations  the  re- 
membrance of  the  City  of  God,  which  had  been  shown." 

In  the  consideration  of  this  subject,  one  thing  impressed  itself 
upon  my  mind  with  constantly  increasing  emphasis.  It  was  the 
absolute  impossibility  of  believing  that  in  this  limitless  expanse  of 
flaming  suns  and  countless  constellations,  no  one  understands  its 
origin  and  mysteries  more  than  we  do;  and  that  our  feeble,  finite 
intellects  form  the  highest  limit  of  intelligence  existing  in  this  won- 
drous scheme  of  things  I 

That  thought  is  blasphemous  in  its  conceit,  and  paralysing  in  its 
influence.  We  may  talk  academically  of  a  "Godless  world,"  but 
when  we  really  face  its  possibility,  we  find  that  there  is  nothing 
more  appalling  in  its  horror,  than  the  conception  of  a  boundless 
universe,  eternally  evolving  in  perfect  order  and  in  full  activity, 
.  .  .  without  a  Mind  to  comprehend,  or  Will  to  guide  it!  "Man," 
says  Disraeli,  "is  made  to  adore  and  to  obey."  When  we  conceit- 
edly survey  our  puny  selves,  we  fain  would  disbelieve  this  statement ; 
but  when  we  look  off  from  our  darkened  planet  into  starlit  space, 
we  know  that  it  is  true. 


Chapter  V 

THE  MORAL  LAW 

"By  the  verdict  of  his  own  breast  no  guilty  man  is  ever  acquitted.** 
—Juvenal. 

"God,  Immortality,  Virtue  are  the  three  pillars  on  which  the  uni- 
verse rests." — ^Jean  Paul  Richter. 

A  CCEPTING  reverently  this  proof  of  an  All-wise  and  an  All- 

U\     powerful  Creator,  I  asked  myself  if  there  were  also  other 

X  X.  evidences  of  His  being.    Again  I  called  to  mind  the  words  of 

Kant: — ^*Two  things  overwhelm  me  with  awe, — the  starry  heavens 

and  man's  accountability  to  God." 

Was  there,  then,  inward  evidence  also  of  a  God?  Yes;  for,  im- 
planted in  us,  is  a  Moral  Law,  whose  incorruptible  interpreter  is 
Conscience.  Of  this  I  am  as  well  aware  as  of  my  own  existence. 
This  monitor  is,  to  some  extent,  innate  in  all  men.  The  lowest 
member  of  the  human  race  has  some  intuitive  knowledge  of  the 
difference  between  right  and  wrong;  and  there  is  in  him  an  in- 
stinctive feeling  of  obligation  to  do  the  former,  rather  than  the 
latter.  However  callous  criminals  become,  that  inward  voice  still 
speaks  within  them;  and  after  committing  murder,  deeds  of  exces- 
sive cruelty,  and  acts  of  base  ingratitude,  they  are  conscious  of 
guilt. 

This  monitor  does  not  entreat  or  argue  with  us;  it  commands.  It 
says  imperiously:— "This  is  right,  that  is  wrong;  do  the  former,  do 
not  do  the  latter."  As  a  free  agent,  I  can  disobey  its  mandate,  but, 
though  I  do  so,  I  well  know  I  ought  to  have  obeyed  it. 

Utilitarian  moralists  tell  us  that  Conscience  is  nothing  but  a* 
state  of  mind,  acquired  from  inherited  notions  of  what  was  bene- 
ficial to  our  savage  ancestors;  that  the  moral  sense  in  man  is  not 
innate  and  God-implanted,  but  merely  a  phenomenon,  which  varies 
under  different  circumstances;  that  general  utility  is  the  highest  test, 
and  that  morals  are  but  generalisations  from  experience.  If  this 
were  so,  our  moral  code  would  be  dependent  on  tradition,  environ- 
ment, political  exigencies,  climate  and  geography;  respect  for  God 
would  disappear;  fear  of  His  judgment  would  be  replaced  by  dread 
of  the  police  court;  and  public  opinion  would  become  our  sole  cri- 
terion of  morals. 

How  dangerously  all  such  standards  shift  from  age  to  age,  and 
place  to  place,  is  only  too  well  known.  It  is  one  thing  to  utter  such 
statements  academically,  but  quite  another  to  introduce  them  as 
principles  of  everyday  life.    .Woe  to  the  generation  that  descends 

43 


44  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

to  that  low  level!  If  self-gratification  and  utiUty  are  our  sole  rea- 
sons for  "morality,"  society  will  inevitably  degenerate,  principle  will 
succumb  to  pleasure,  the  moral  fibre  will  be  ^f  ^^^^^^' .,^°^^;;j^  ^ 
divinest  attribute,  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  will  be  annihilated 

If  we  deny  the  existence  of  certain  fixed,  eternal  distinctions  be- 
tween  what  is  radically  right  and  what  is  radically  wrong,  hideous 
deeds,  like  old-age  slaughter  and  infanticide,  could  be  legitimately 
encouraged  for  the  welfare  of  the  State  or  family.  If  happiness  were 
declared  to  be  the  only  ethical  standard,  whose  family  would  be  safe, 
whose  property  secure?  There  would  be  speedily  inaugurated  a 
system  of  Socialism,  which  has  been  well  defined  as  a  scheme  o 
take  from  the  worthy  the  things  they  have  laboured  for,  in  order  to 
give  to  the  unworthy  the  things  they  have  not  earned.  Under  such 
conditions  a  mob  of  selfish  Communists  would  make  short  work  of 
our  possessions,  and  social  anarchy  would  soon  prevail  We  see  this 
proved,  not  only  by  a  hundred  instances  in  history,  but  actually  now 
(1QIQ-1020)  in  many  parts  of  Europe. 

There  artful  demagogues  have  roused  the  dregs  of  the  population 
to  raid,  rob,  plunder,  and  even  to  destroy,  from  a  mere  lust  for 
destruction;  and  there  we  see  the  sanguinary  triumph  of  a  godless 
mob,  whose  crimes,  in  respect  to  the  torture  and  murder  of  aristo- 
crats,  priests  and  the  educated  part  of  the  commumty,  surpass  the 
worst  atrocities  of  the  French  Revolution.    These  lawless  masses  do 
what  they  have  always  done,  whenever  they  have  inade  tbeir  violent 
inroads  into  the  domain  of  history.    They  talk  at  first  of  liber^, 
equality  and  fraternity,  but  speedily  create  their  own  despotic  idols 
of  an  hour,  whose  tyranny  becomes  atrocious.    At  last  they  usually 
fall  to  fighting  among  themselves,  and  order  is  restored  at  a  further 
cost  of  blood  and  treasure.    One  of  the  most  pronounced  charac- 
teristics of  these  anarchists  is  their  hatred  to  every  form  of  religion 
and  their  persecution  of  the  Church;  and  when  the  restraining  in- 
fluences  of  belief  in  God  and  a  future  life  have  been  weakened  or 
destroyed,  society  retrogrades  to  barbarism,  as  is  actually  the  case  m 
many  sections  of  Europe  to-day. 

Evils  resulting  from  the  utilitarian  code  of  morals  are  not,  how- 
ever,  entirely  confined  to  revolutionary  mobs     In  ^oaal  morak  al^ 
its  results  are  frequently  appalling.    Indeed,  "^\^\^,  ^^?J.^ 
ethics  what  is  the  use  of  being  virtuous,  even  on  Becky  Sharp  s    ten 
thousand  a  year,"  if  the  "roses  and  raptures  of  vice    are  mor 
alluring?     What  is  the  strength  of  virtue,  based  011  n^oU^es  0 
expediency  only?    Young  people,  urged  to  lead  an  "P^gJ^  life,  w^^^ 
naturally  say:-"Why  should  we  do  so,  if  the  Moral  Law  is  fluctu 
ating,  and  derived  from  nothing  higher  than  a  chain  of  experience^ 
starting  in  an  anthropoid  ape?"    It  is  aU  very  ^eU  ^^r  pas^o^^^^^^^^ 
ascetics  to  declare  that  they  can  be  just  as  pure  and  noble  without 


THE  MORAL  LAW 


45 


a  belief  in  a  Supreme  Judge,  as  with  one;  but  the  great  majority  of 
men  and  women  will  certainly  ask  themselves:— What  is  the  use  of 
being  good,  if  there  is  no  one  in  the  universe  who  knows  or  cares? 
Moreover,  even  though  admitting  that  a  certain  course  of  conduct, 
gradually  evolved  by  man,  is  necessary  for  society  in  general,  the 
individual  himself  will  always  want  to  be  an  exception  to  the  rule. 
Under  the  pressure  of  temptation,  considerations  for  the  "welfare 
of  society"  will  prove  frail  barriers  of  defence. 

A  striking  illustration  of  moral  degeneracy  may  be  seen  at  present 
in  a  European  capital,  where  a  few  wealthy  visitors  from  the  New 
Worid  have  founded  a  society,  which  practically  advocates  Free 
Love.  The  real  significance  of  its  theories  is  partly  veiled  in  its 
printed  literature,  the  circulation  of  which  would  otherwise  be  pro- 
hibited; but  in  the  society's  meetings,  which  are  attended  by  per- 
sons of  both  sexes,  married  and  single,  young  and  old,  language  is 
used  which  is  unmistakable.  The  priests  and  priestesses  of  this 
strange  cult  assert  that  every  woman  has  the  right  to  choose  for 
herself  a  partner  of  the  other  sex.  If  she  prefers  to  do  so  through 
the  conventional  mode  of  marriage,  well  and  good;  but  if  in  some 
other  way,  it  is  equally  well  and  good.  If  she  is  subsequently  dis- 
appointed in  her  choice,  she  should  be  quite  at  liberty  to  choose 
another  companion,  or  .  .  .  several  others.  Her  first  partner,  even 
though  he  be  called  her  husband,  should  make  no  opposition  to  this 
"natural  selection,"  but  on  the  contrary  should  aid  her  with  his 
counsel  and  approval!  Under  no  circumstances  should  individual 
freedom  be  restrained  or  subject  to  reproach.  One  advocate  of  this 
moral  bankruptcy  is  the  father  of  two  daughters;  yet,  incredible  as 
it  would  seem,  he  claims  that  these  young  girls  will,  later  on,  be 
justified  in  following  the  precepts  of  Free  Love!  Unfortunately  the 
supporters  of  this  pernicious  system  are  not  content  to  keep  it  to 
themselves,  but  carry  on  a  propaganda  for  its  doctrines  with  the 
expenditure  of  considerable  sums  of  money.  Naturally  its  baneful 
influence  is  as  contagious  as  leprosy,  and  its  results  upon  the  indi- 
viduals contaminated  by  it  will  be  ruinous,  as  similar  customs  in  the 
past  have  always  proved.  How  many  families  will  be  wrecked,  how 
many  innocent  lives  for  ever  blasted,  how  many  children  ruined  and 
abandoned  through  its  influence,  can  be  imagined! 

Already  among  the  members  of  this  club  there  has  been  at  least 
one  instance  of  attempted  suicide;  for  even  those  who  deny  the 
existence  of  an  intuitional  conscience,  must  know  that  evil  doers 
frequently  experience  remorse,  if  not  despair.  Yet,  after  all,  if 
pleasure  and  utility  are  the  sole  criterions  of  morality,  what  is  there 
strange  or  illogical  in  such  conduct?  If  there  exists  no  higher 
standard  than  that  of  "happiness"  to  determine  what  is  right,  the 
noble  qualities  of  self-denial  and  self-sacrifice  become  absurdities, 


46 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


THE  MORAL  LAW 


and  the  satisfaction  arising  from  the  consciousness  of  having  done 
one's  duty  is  an  illusion. 

Why  should  one  risk  one's  fortune,  happiness  and  life  for  others 
or  for  some  great  cause?  In  order  to  acquire  glory?  That  is  an 
evanescent  dream,  and  must  in  any  event  be  paid  for  dearly.  To 
win  the  approval  of  posterity?  What  does  it  matter?  We  shall 
know  nothing  of  it.  To  enjoy  the  esteem  of  the  public?  What  does 
the  clever  and  successful  rascal, — ^whether  political,  financial  or 
social, — care  for  that,  provided  his  ambitions  or  desires  have  been 
gratified?  On  the  other  hand,  the  motives  of  self-sacrifice  and  duty 
have  produced  the  noblest  characters  of  which  the  race  can  boast. 
These  motives  Christ  especially  appealed  to: — ^'^ Whosoever  will  be 
chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant;  even  as  the  Son  of  man 
came  not  to  be  ministered  imto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  His  life 
a  ransom  for  many."  Accordingly,  the  Church  can  point  to  thou- 
sands of  her  children  who,  through  a  sense  of  duty  towards  their 
fellow-men,  as  well  as  to  God,  have  made  their  lives  a  record  of 
complete  self-abnegation.  Abandoning  riches,  social  eminence,  and 
comforts,  her  saints  have  voluntarily  turned  their  backs  upon  the 
world,  assumed  a  rough,  uncomfortable  dress,  and  embraced  lives 
of  poverty,  hardship,  fasting  and  humility,  in  order  to  devote  them- 
selves to  a  lifetime  of  wearisome  teaching,  or  to  the  service  of  the 
sick  and  wretched, — often  carrying  Christ's  Gospel  even  to  colonies 
of  lepers,  though  certain  of  being  ere  long  fatally  infected! 

The  French  author,  Frederic  Soulie,  was  cared  for  in  his  last 
illness  by  a  Sister  of  Charity,  to  whom  he  often  spoke  jestingly  on 
the  subject  of  religion.  Touched  by  her  great  devotion  and  sincerity, 
the  sceptic  one  day  asked  her  seriously: — ^*'Are  you  really  convinced 
of  the  truth  of  your  religion?"  *'Do  you  think,"  she  replied,  "that 
if  I  were  not,  I  should  be  here,  sacrificing  my  libe-ty  and  health  in 
your  service?"  This  dignified  response  impressed  him  deeply.  The 
Sister  saw  it,  and  took  occasion  to  speak  to  him  of  the  welfare  of 
his  soul.  The  sick  man  listened  attentively,  was  soon  after  recon- 
ciled with  God,  and  died,  pressing  the  crucifix  to  his  heart. 

Utilitarianism,  on  the  contrary,  which  recognises  no  criterion  of 
morality  save  self-interest,  produces  no  such  characters.  It  cannot 
logically  explain  innumerable  evidences  of  self-abnegation, — from 
the  incomparable  sacrifice  of  Calvary  to  the  deed  of  many  a  ship- 
wrecked hero,  who  has  yielded  up  his  place  of  safety  in  the  lifeboat 
to  another,  and  turned  back  calmly  to  inevitable  death. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  also,  that  the  great  philosophers  of 
Paganism  were  believers  in  the  existence  of  Conscience  and  the 
Moral  Law.  Seneca,  for  example,  wrote: — ^"Every  man  has  a  judge 
and  witness  within  himself  of  ^1  the  good  and  evil  that  he  does.  .  .  . 
The  foundation  of  true  joy  is  in  the  conscience.  .  .  .  God  is  nigh 


47 


to  thee,  he  is  with  thee,  he  is  within  thee.  I  tell  thee,  Lucilius,  a 
sacred  spirit  is  resident  in  us,  an  observer  and  guardian  both  of 
what  is  good  and  what  is  evil  in  us."  Socrates  also  remarked: — ^^li 
the  rulers  of  the  universe  do  not  prefer  the  just  man  to  the  unjust, 
it  is  better  to  die  than  to  live."  Cicero  also  speaks  of  that  Moral 
Law  which  "no  nation  can  overthrow  or  annul.  Neither  a  senate 
nor  a  whole  people  can  relieve  us  from  its  injunctions.  It  is  the 
same  in  Athens  and  in  Rome;  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  for 
ever."  Epictetus  declared: — ^'When  we  are  children,  our  parents 
deliver  us  to  the  care  of  a  tutor.  .  .  .  When  we  are  become  men, 
God  delivers  us  to  the  guardianship  of  an  implanted  conscience.  If 
you  always  remember  that  God  stands  by,  as  a  witness  of  whatever 
you  do,  either  in  soul  or  body,  you  will  never  err,  either  in  your 
prayers  or  actions,  and  you  will  have  God  abiding  with  you.  Never 
say,  when  you  have  shut  your  door  and  darkened  your  room,  that 
you  are  alone;  for  you  are  not  alone,  but  God  is  within,  and  your 
genius  is  within;  and  what  need  have  they  of  a  light  to  see  what  you 
are  doing?"  Aristotle,  too,  considered  it  the  special  attribute  of 
man  that  he  is  a  moral  being,  able  to  distinguish  between  good  and 
evil,  justice  and  injustice;  in  other  words,  that  the  final  bases  of 
right  and  duty  are  to  be  found,  not  in  comfort  and  utility,  but  in  a 
perception  of  the  eternal  distinctions  between  right  and  wrong;  and 
if  so,  then  the  Moral  Law  is  something  independent  of  the  ephemeral 
race  of  man.  "/^  is  an  essential  quality  of  God,  existing  before  all 
worlds  were  made;  and  from  the  consciousness  of  moral  obligation, 
which  we  find  implanted  in  us,  we  reason  back  to  its  eternal  Source, 
— the  Infinite  and  Perfect," 

To  deny  these  doctrines,  which  belong  alike  to  Christianity  and 
to  the  highest  Pagan  philosophy;  to  say  with  Hobbes  that  "Good 
and  evil  are  names  that  signify  our  appetites  and  aversions";  to 
claim  that  Conscience  is  nothing  but  an  echo  of  ancestral  selfishness; 
and  that  the  notion  of  accountability  to  God  is  a  superstition; — ^all 
this  is  a  very  comfortable  view  of  life,  but  it  rests  upon  no  solid 
foundation,  and  is  opposed  to  the  entire  course  of  justice,  which 
man  has  found  it  necessary  to  establish  on  this  earth. 

Unless  this  world  is  the  result  of  chance,  man  must  have  been 
created  for  some  definite  purpose.  What  can  that  purpose  be?  It 
certainly  is  not  a  search  for  happiness,  for  all  experience  shows  us 
that  there  is  no  surer  way  to  lose  one's  happiness  than  to  seek  it 
The  object  of  our  being  here  seems  to  be,  rather,  the  development 
of  character.  This  also  is  not  only  Christian  doctrine;  it  was  the 
view  of  many  of  the  noblest  spirits  of  antiquity.  Seneca,  for  exam- 
ple, asks: — ^**How  comes  it  to  pass  that  good  men  labour  under 
affliction  and  adversity,  and  wicked  men  enjoy  themselves  in  ease 
and  plenty?    My  answer  is  that  God  deals  by  us  as  a  good  father 


48 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


lit 


does  by  his  children;  he  tries  us,  hardens  us  and  fits  us  for  himself. 
...  As  the  master  gives  his  most  hopeful  scholars  the  hardest  les- 
sons, so  does  God  deal  with  the  most  generous  spirits;  and  we  are 
not  to  look  upon  rebuffs  of  fortune  as  a  cruelty,  but  as  incidents  in 
a  contest.  How  many  casualties  and  difficulties  have  we  dreaded  as 
unbearable  evils,  which  upon  further  consideration  proved  to  be 
mercies  and  benefits!  When  we  are  visited  with  sickness  and  other 
afflictions,  we  are  not  to  murmur,  as  if  we  were  badly  used.  It  is  a 
mark  of  the  general's  esteem  if  he  puts  us  in  a  post  of  danger.  We 
do  not  then  say, — My  captain  uses  me  ill,  but  that  he  does  me 
honour.  ...  No  man  knows  his  strength  or  value  except  by  being 
put  to  the  proof.  The  pilot  is  tried  in  a  storm;  the  soldier  in  a  bat- 
tle; the  rich  man  in  poverty.  Providence  treats  us  like  a  generous 
father,  and  brings  us  up  to  labours,  toils  and  dangers;  whereas  the 
indulgence  of  a  fond  mother  makes  us  weak  and  spiritless."  Epic- 
tetus  writes  in  a  similar  manner: — ^'^Difficulties  show  what  men  are. 
Hereafter,  when  a  difficulty  befalls  you,  remember  that  God,  like  a 
trainer  of  wrestlers,  has  matched  you  with  a  rough  antagonist." 

It  is  remarkable  how  closely  the  views  of  the  great  Roman  mor- 
alists coincide  with  those  expressed  in  the  New  Testament.  St. 
Paul,  for  example,  in  speaking  of  a  Christian,  uses  frequently  the 
metaphor  of  a  soldier.  "Endure  hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ."  "Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith."  "The  time  of  my  de- 
parture is  at  hand;  I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith."  Many  of  the  parables  of  Christ  also 
represent  man  as  a  steward,  who  eventually  must  give  an  account 
of  his  stewardship.  Especial  emphasis  is  also  laid  upon  the  fact  that 
our  position  towards  God  is  that  of  children  towards  a  Father,  who, 
while  He  loves  us,  disciplines  us  by  trial  and  purifies  our  characters 
through  affliction.  St.  James  declares  (i.  12) : — ^"Blessed  is  the  man 
that  endureth  temptation;  for  when  he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the 
crown  of  life."  St.  Paul  also  (Heb.  xiii.)  writes:— "My  son,  despise 
not  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint  when  thou  art  rebuked  of 
Him;  for  whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every 
son  whom  He  receiveth.  If  ye  endure  chastening,  God  dealeth  with 
you  as  with  sons.  Now  no  chastening  for  the  present  seemeth  to 
be  joyous,  but  grievous;  nevertheless  afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peace- 
able fruits  of  righteousness  unto  them  which  are  exercised  thereby." 
In  the  Book  of  Revelation  also  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  Churches:— 
"As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten." 

Pagan  and  Christian  moralists,  therefore,  are  agreed  in  represent- 
ing this  world  as  a  battlefield,  an  arena,  or  a  school,  where  we  are 
trained  for  something  better.  "That  this  world  is  intended  for 
man's  education,"  says  Emerson,  "is  the  only  sane  solution  of  the 
enigma."    But  such  a  system  of  discipline  proves  that  man  is  worth 


THE  MORAL  LAW 


49 


training.  So  much  effort  to  improve  us  would  not  be  expended  on 
ephemeral  creatures,  with  no  future.  It  is  rational,  therefore,  to 
conclude  that,  just  as  children  are  instructed  for  a  higher  grade  in 
school,  so  is  the  human  race  prepared  here  for  a  higher  life;  partly 
in  contest  with  the  elements,  since  most  of  us  must  earn  our  bread 
by  manual  labour;  but  chiefly  in  the  increase  of  our  mental  strength 
by  study,  our  moral  strength  by  resisting  temptation,  and  our 
spiritual  strength  by  a  devout  obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  Fail- 
ing this,  we  miss  the  aim  of  our  creation. 

It  is  true,  to  most  of  us  the  Master's  orders  and  restrictions  seem 
very  different  from  the  methods  which  we  ourselves  should  have 
chosen,  precisely  as  the  tedious  duties  of  the  schoolroom,  the  needful 
discipline  at  home,  strict  prohibitions  in  regard  to  dangerous  pleas- 
ures, or  the  giving  of  distasteful  medicine  appear  to  children  foolish 
and  tyrannical  infringements  of  their  liberty.  This  comparison  ap- 
pears to  modern  Mammonists  absurd.  According  to  them,  men  are 
not  children,  but  demigods.  Christ,  however,  declared  that  unless 
we  become  as  "little  children,"  we  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven. 

We  have  His  word  for  it  that  these  respective  standpoints  are 
irreconcilable.  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon."  Stripped 
of  superfluous  phrases,  Mammonists  maintain  that  we  are  on  this 
planet  to  make  money  and  to  spend  it.  God,  on  the  contrary,  in- 
forms us  that  our  life  consists  not  in  the  abundance  of  things  which 
we  possess,  and  says  to  the  self-complacent  rich  man: — ^"Thou  fool, 
this  night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee."  Mammon  measures 
progress  chiefly  by  mechanical  inventions  for  man's  greater  comfort 
and  for  greater  speed.  God's  voice  within  us  measures  it  by  the 
extent  to  which  society  is  dominated  by  His  Moral  Law.  Mammon 
doubts  or  denies  the  existence  of  Deity.  The  Bible  asserts  that 
only  "the  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart  there  is  no  God."  Mammon 
declares  that  men*  "shall  be  as  gods."  The  Bible  ascribes  those 
words  originally  to  the  devil.  Mammon  destroys  man's  reverence 
for  the  Supernatural.  Christ,  on  the  contrary,  promulgates,  as  the 
"first  and  great  commandment": — "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord 
thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind." 

Moved  by  all  these  considerations,  it  seemed  at  last  to  me  both 
rational  and  necessary  to  believe,  not  only  that  the  Creator  of  this 
universe  is  All-wise  and  Omnipotent,  but  that  He  is  also  the  Author 
of  a  Moral  Law,  by  which  mankind  is  to  be  trained  and  tried,  and 
which  is  shown  to  us  by  Conscience  in  an  intuitive  sense  of  right  and 
wrong,  antecedent  to  and  independent  of  experience  and  utility.  It 
is  unnecessary  to  ask  if  the  Author  of  tliis  Moral  Law  is  Himself  a 
Being  of  perfect  goodness.    A  contrary  supposition  would  imply  that 


so 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Infinite  God,  having  proposed  to  man  the  highest  ideal  of  moral  con- 
duct, cannot  or  will  not  Himself  live  up  to  it! 

"And  yet,"  objects  the  sceptic,  "if  God  is  really  the  personifica- 
tion of  perfect  justice  and  goodness,  how  can  you  account  for  the 
presence  here  of  so  much  suffering  and  evil?"  That  is,  of  course, 
the  oldest  and  most  profound  of  mysteries.  That  God  allows  evil 
to  exist  here  is  indisputable;  but  it  is  evidently  part  of  the  great 
scheme  of  giving  man  free  will.  Man's  freedom  of  choice  leaves  the 
door  open  to  the  possible  entry  of  evil,  and  to  a  certain  extent  ex- 
plains its  presence. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  much  the  greater  share  of  human  misery 
and  degradation  is  the  result  of  man's  own  wickedness  and  folly. 
His  own  deliberate  choice  makes  of  this  earth  too  frequently  a  scene 
of  cruelty  and  crime.  That  our  will  is  free  is  one  of  the  most  indis- 
putable facts  of  our  inner  consciousness.  Upon  that  supposition  is 
based  the  entire  scheme  of  human  legislation,  which  holds  that  men 
are  responsible  for  their  conduct.  How  could  society  be  preserved 
on  any  other  hypothesis?  If  man  is  a  mere  automaton,  his  respon- 
sibility ceases,  and  no  court  could  justly  punish  him.  But  the  com- 
mands of  Christ  and  the  mandates  of  conscience  both  appeal  directly 
to  the  will.  Its  freedom  also  forms  the  basis  of  all  religion,  for  any 
real  homage  of  the  soul  must  of  course  be  voluntary.  Virtue,  to  be 
worth  anything,  must  involve  the  possibility  of  having  been  rejected 
for  vice  by  a  free  agent.  We  talk  sometimes  of  "irresistible  mo- 
tives," but  we  know  at  heart  that  we  can  do,  or  can  leave  undone, 
any  given  act,  however  strong  the  temptation  may  be.  It  is  upon 
that  hypothesis  that  we  associate  daily  with  our  fellow-men.  To 
deny  this  is  to  contradict  one's  individual  consciousness.  It  is  our 
liberty  of  will  that  makes  us  persons,  and  we  know  it. 

Moreover,  it  is  man's  proudest  distinction.  Everywhere  else  in 
nature  we  see  a  blind  obedience  to  law.  The  rhythmic  movement 
of  the  tides,  the  punctual  reappearance  of  the  lunar  disc,  the  regular 
recurrence  of  the  seasons,  the  tireless  heart-beat  and  the  falling  leaf, 
— ^all  illustrate  compulsory  obedience.  There  is  no  absolute  liberty 
of  choice  to  obey  or  disobey  God's  mandate,  save  in  man.  He  alone 
can  be  disobedient,  if  he  will;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  does  will 
it  frequently.    He  says  with  Ovid: — 

"Video  meliora,  proboque, 
Deteriora  sequor." 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  man  sometimes  wills  to  sacrifice  himself, 
to  suffer  voluntarily  for  others,  and  even  for  their  sake  to  encounter 
death;  and  this  is  recognised  as  the  best  and  noblest  in  man's  char- 
acter, precisely  because,  being  free  to  make  the  sacrifice  or  not,  he 
chose  to  make  it,    Man  has  it,  therefore,  in  his  power  to  prevent, 


THE  MORAL  LAW 


51 


or  greatly  to  alleviate,  much  of  the  earth's  wretchedness  and  suffer- 
ing. If  he  would  only  live  in  conformity  to  the  law  of  Christ,  he 
could  confer  upon  his  fellow-men  and  on  the  animals,  which  he  so 
often  wantonly  destroys  or  tortures,  lives  of  peace  and  happiness. 
The  guilt  for  an  inunense  amount  of  suffering  inflicted  on  dumb, 
patient  beasts  rests  on  the  crudest  of  all  creatures, — man  himself! 

As  for  the  pain  and  misery  over  which  man  has  no  control,  let 
us  concede  that  this  presents  a  problem  that  we  cannot  solve.  Why 
God  permits  great  natural  catastrophes  and  many  kinds  of  suffer- 
ing in  men  and  beasts,  remains  for  us  a  mystery.  But  we  may  recol- 
lect that  to  most  children  many  acts  of  their  parents  seem  no  less 
cruel  and  mysterious,  which  nevertheless  are  for  their  good.  Do  we 
object  to  being  classed  as  children?  Let  us  recall  the  previously 
quoted  words  of  Newton  and  Lord  Kelvin,  and  realise  how  pro- 
foundly ignorant  we  are  of  practically  everything  except  phenomena. 
//  the  words  of  these  scientists  do  not  mean  that  we  are,  in  the  sight 
of  God  and  His  government,  dependent,  ignorant  children,  what  do 
they  mean? 

At  all  events,  which  is  more  rational, — to  believe  that  a  malevolent 
Demon  rules  this  universe,  or  that  it  is  governed  by  a  benevolent 
Deity,  whom  we  in  most  things  know,  to  be  beneficent  and  good,  but 
all  of  whose  designs  and  ways  we  cannot  yet  completely  compre- 
hend? There  can  be  but  one  rational  answer  to  that  question.  To 
think  that  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  this  wonderfully  appointed 
Cosmos  is  a  malignant  Spirit,  bent  on  torturing  His  creatures,  or 
capable  of  neglecting  them,  is  revolting  to  our  reason;  and  equally 
so  is  the  supposition  that  the  universe  is  a  vast,  unintelligent  mass 
of  matter,  dragging  us  automatically  on  to  ends,  unknown  to  any 
Mind.  In  any  case,  how  do  the  Pessimists  help  us  with  their  hope- 
less theories?  Do  they  make  our  present  existence  more  endurable? 
Do  they  render  its  mysteries  any  more  comprehensible?  On  the 
contrary,  to  what  a  hideous  and  irrational  view  of  the  world  do 
those  condemn  themselves,  who  mock  at  man's  accountability,  make 
moral  standards  rest  on  selfishness,  and  disbelieve  in  God's  exist- 
ence! Of  course  if  we  repudiate  the  testimony  of  history,  philos- 
ophy and  Divine  Revelation,  and  hold  by  preference  that  Conscience 
is  "inherited,"  that  morals  have  no  higher  sanction  than  expediency, 
and  that  Unconscious  Fate  or  an  Evil  Principle  rules  the  world, — 
then  truly  nothing  is  left  us  but  despair.  But  happily  we  have 
something  better;  for  in  our  souls  abides  the  inborn,  irresistible  con- 
viction that  God  is  good,  as  well  as  great,  and  that  Right  must  be 
rewarded,  and  Wrong  punished,  if  not  here,  then  elsewhere. 


Chapter  VI 

IMMORTALITY 


«» 


'The  spirit  of  man,  which  God  inspired,  cannot  perish  with  this  cor- 
poreal clod." — Milton. 

"The  seed  dies  into  a  new  life,  and  so  does  man." — George  Mac- 

DONALD. 

"When  I  go  down  to  the  grave,  I  shall  have  ended  my  day's  work, 
but  another  day  will  begin  next  morning.  Life  closes  in  the  twilight ; 
it  opens  with  the  dawn." — Victor  Hugo. 

"Alas  for  him  who  never  sees 
The  stars  shine  through  his  cypress-trees; 
Who,  hopeless,  lays  his  dead  away. 
Nor  looks  to  see  the  breaking  day 
Across  the  mournful  marbles  play; 
Who  hath  not  learned  in  hours  of  faith 
The  truth  to  flesh  and  sense  unknown. 
That  Life  is  ever  Lord  of  death, 
And  Love  can  never  lose  its  own." 

Whittier. 

"The  day  which  thou  fearest  so  much,  and  which  thou  callest  thy 
last,  is  the  birthday  of  an  eternity."— Seneca. 

THE  concluding  sentence  of  the  previous  chapter, — "If  not 
here,  then  elsewhere,"— brings  us  to  the  theme  of  immor- 
tality. 

What  means  this  endless  flood  of  souls,  arriving  who  knows 
whence,  departing  who  knows  whither;  these  inconceivable  billions 
passing,  like  grains  of  sand  in  an  hour-glass,  through  countless  cen- 
turies that  are  gone,  and  through  unnumbered  centuries  yet  to  come? 
Is  man's  life  really  nothing  but  "a  sigh  between  two  silences";  a 
narrow  strand  between  two  oceans  of  nonentity;  a  moment  between 
an  infinite  past,  of  which  we  know  a  little,  and  an  infinite  future, 
of  which  we  know  nothing?    Is  Omar's  philosophy  the  right  one? 

"Ah,  make  the  most  of  what  we  yet  may  spend, 
Before  we  too  into  the  dust  descend; 
Dust  into  dust,  and  under  dust  to  lie. 
Sans  wine,  sans  song,  sans  singer,  and  .  .  .  sans  end  I" 

Judged  from  a  purely  physical  basis,  death  seems  to  be  the  end  of 
all;  but  when  we  fix  our  thoughts  upon  that  tiny  spark  of  conscious- 
ness within  us,  which  is  endowed  with  the  capacity  of  "reading  God's 
thoughts  after  Him"  in  laws  which  govern  the  sidereal  universe,  of 
recognising  the  Moral  Law  within  our  breasts,  and  even  of  asking 

S3 


IMMORTALITY 


S3 


the  questions:— "Whence  have  I  come?"  and  "Shall  I  Hve  agam? 
that  makes  another  solution  of  the  problem  probable. 

The  materialist,  of  course,  denies  the  existence  of  the  soul.  To 
him  thought  is  a  function  of  the  brain,  and  nothing  more.  He  tells 
us  that  "the  brain  produces  thought,  as  the  liver  secretes  bile, 
apparently  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  bile  is  a  material  substance, 
wWle  thought  is  immaterial.  "If  by  some  accident,"  he  says,  your 
skull  is  mjured,  or  if  you  lose  a  little  of  its  contents,  you  cannot 
think  as  once  you  could,  your  memory  is  impaired,  or  you  no  longer 
rive  to  things  their  proper  names.  This  proves  that  thought  is  a 
product  of  matter,  or  at  least  is  absolutely  dependent  upon  it,  and 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  soul."  .        . 

A  psychist,  however,  reaches  a  very  different  conclusion.  Accord- 
ing to  him,  that  accident  has  injured  merely  the  instrument  of  the 
soul  but  not  the  soul  itself.  As  Beethoven  could  not  have  properly 
played  one  of  his  own  symphonies,  if  an  octave  had  been  broken  out 
of  the  keyboard  of  his  piano,  so  he  could  not  have  composed  that 
svmphony,  if  he  had  lost  a  considerable  portion  of  his  brain.  The 
injured  instrument  fetters  the  action  of  its  master.    And  it  is  easUy 

"^  D^r  Maudsley,  Professor  Carpenter,  Professor  Schultze,  and  other 
famous  physiologists  tell  us  that  a  fragment  of  the  grey  substance 
of  the  brain,  though  not  larger  than  the  head  of  a  pin,  contains  many 
thousands  of  commingled  globules  and  fibres!    Of  ganghon  globules 
alone,  according  to  the  estimate  of  Meynert,  there  cannot  be  less 
than  600,000,000  in  the  convolutions  of  a  human  bram!    No  words 
can  adequately  describe  the  surpassing  delicacy  and  minuteness  of 
the  structure  of  the  brain  and  the  intricacy  of  its  arrangement.    And 
what  is  still  more  wonderful,  with  every  action  of  the  mind  some 
structural  change  takes  place  in  the  brain-substance.    Its  globules 
are  not  only  incalculably  numerous,  but  are  in  a  state  of  constant 
birth,  growth,  decay  and  reproduction!     The  action  of  the  mind 
occasions  this;  for  the  transmission  of  mind-force  through  the  glob- 
ules  is  accompanied  by  the  decomposition  of  the  pulp  of  the  nerve- 
threads,  which  meander  among  them  in  all  conceivable  directions. 
Scientists  confess  that  "there  is  no  glimmering  of  the  way  in  which 
the  energy,  evolved  thus  by  the  destruction  of  brain-pulp,  is  changed 
into  the  phenomena  of  consciousness;  no  explanation  how  pulp- 
vibration  is  transformed  into  thought  and  feeling;  and  an  unfath- 
omed  abyss  still  stretches  out  beyond  the  most  advanced  ground  won 
by  the  most  adventurous  physiologists."    In  fact,  elimtnate  the  tdea 
of  a  spiritual  force^-the  soul,— behind  that  brain-pulp,  and  no  ex- 
planation is  possible.  , 

Professor  James,  however,  has  taught  us  that  we  may  consider  the 
brain  not  merely  as  a  producer,  but  as  a  transmitter.    The  rum  pt 


54 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


the  transmitter  would  not  affect  the  existence  of  the  spiritual  force 
behind  it,  which  supplies  our  consciousness,  any  more  than  the  de- 
struction of  a  telephone  instrument  would  mean  the  annihilation  of 
the  person  using  it.  That  spiritual  force  behind  the  brain  would 
still  remain  intact,  and  might  after  death  adopt  still  other  methods 
of  transmission,— perhaps  a  spiritual  body.  The  conclusion  is  irre- 
sistible that  the  moral  and  intellectual  faculties  of  man  belong  to 
a  region  for  which  physical  science  has  no  explanation,  and  that 
this  wonderfully  complicated  brain  is  a  material  instrument,  on 
which  an  immaterial  master  plays.  Of  this,  indeed,  we  are  con- 
scious. We  know  that  we  and  the  brain-pulp  are  not  the  same 
entities.  We  know  that  there  is  an  absolute  difference  between  our 
personal  consciousness  and  a  mass  of  grey  matter,  however  intri- 
cately fitted  out  with  nerves. 

Moreover,  although  every  particle  of  matter  in  the  human  brain 
is  changed  repeatedly  during  man's  lifetime,  nevertheless  through 
that  continual  ebb  and  flow  of  molecules  man's  thread  of  conscious- 
ness remains  unbroken  from  his  infancy  till  death.  The  same  im- 
material master  continues  to  preside  over  the  instrument,  although 
the  latter  has  had  to  be  continually  repaired.  In  other  words,  amid 
the  flux  of  matter  and  the  decay  and  renovation  of  corporeal  par- 
ticles, our  personal  identity,  consciously  recognised,  remains  immu- 
table. In  that  unchanging  thread  of  individual  consciousness  we 
find  a  proof  of  the  existence  of  an  immaterial  soul,  which  is  inde- 
pendent of  material  changes,  and  presumably  therefore  is  inde- 
pendent also  of  the  body's  decomposition. 

Marvellous  to  relate,  this  soul  can  also  summon  up  by  a  mere 
mandate  of  volition  numberless  points  along  that  thread  of  con- 
sciousness, another  name  for  which  is  memory.  The  molecules  of 
the  brain,  the  eye,  the  ear  and  other  sections  of  the  bodily  sen- 
sorium  are  not  the  same,  as  when  the  incidents,  thus  recalled,  made 
their  impression  on  the  sensitive  nerves,  yet  the  enduring  soul,  which 
has  survived  those  changes,  can  remember  them!  Faces  and  land- 
scapes, voices  and  words,  music  and  even  subtile  odours,— all  pre- 
sent themselves;  for,  though  the  tablet  on  which  they  were  regis- 
tered has  changed  its  composition,  the  soul  can  read  at  will  the 
record,  as  heat  brings  out  upon  a  faded  manuscript  words  once  in- 
scribed there  with  invisible  ink. 

What  also  is  that  higher  power  which  scans  some  dots  or  crooked 
letters  on  a  printed  page  and  apprehends  from  them  at  once  exqui- 
site music,  inspiring  poetry,  or  even  the  Word  of  God  Himself?  Is 
this  capacity  nothing  but  a  function  of  matter?  And  what  of  the 
power  which  originaUy  wrote  those  dots  and  crooked  characters, 
expressed  in  them  those  noble  sentiments,  and  left  in  them  a  death- 
less meaning  that  can  thrill  the  hearts  of  miUions?     Is  not  that 


IMMORTALITY 


55 


power  something  absolutely  and  essentially  different  from  both  the 
printed  matter  and  the  hand  that  prints? 

Of  all  terrestrial  beings  man  alone  looks  off  from  this  thin  rind 
of  cooling  earth  into  the  depths  of  starlit  space,  and  asks  what  it  all 
means;  he  is  the  only  one  who  feels  that  where  his  thought  and 
imagination  penetrate,  there  his  soul  may  pass.  It  is  usually  said 
that  the  soul's  survival  of  the  dissolution  of  the  body  cannot  be 
scientifically  proved.  Well,  be  it  so;  but  are  physical  and  scientific 
methods  the  only  ones  by  which  that  can  be  proved?  The  mate- 
rialist declares  that  there  is  no  soul,  because  it  cannot  be  discovered 
in  dissecting  the  body,  which  is  as  unreasonable  as  to  disbelieve  in 
God  because  we  cannot  detect  His  presence  in  the  lines  of  the  solar 
spectrum.  Let  us  remember  that  if  Science  cannot  prove  that  the 
soul  DOES  survive  the  body,  it  also  cannot  prove  that  it  does  not 

survive  it. 

All  scientists  agree  that  matter  is  indestructible,  since  its  com- 
ponent parts,  its  atoms,  never  perish.  But  if  dull,  senseless  matter 
thus  persists,  is  it  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  what  is  spiritual  is 
also  indestructible?  Of  course  God  can  by  His  omnipotence  anni- 
hilate the  soul,  but  is  it  likely  that  He  should  desire  to  exterminate 
the  spiritual  life  which  He  called  into  being?  In  view  of  the  fact, 
that  man's  endowments  fail  here  of  their  full  development,  does^  it 
seem  consonant  with  the  wisdom  of  Almighty  God  that,  after  in- 
numerable years  of  preparation.  He  will  let  the  race  die  out,  without 
fulfilling  somewhere  the  potentialities  which  are  inherent  in  it?  Here 
they  are  certainly  unfulfilled.  Is  it  not,  therefore,  natural  to  expect 
another  opportunity  for  their  fulfilment?  If  man's  capacities  end 
merely  in  the  grave,  God's  work  appears  to  be  imperfect.  If  this 
brief  life  be  all,  then  man,  who  hopes  for  something  better  and 
higher  than  his  present  lot,  who  feels  a  love  which  triumphs  over 
death,  and  longs  for  a  reunion  with  the  loved  ones  he  has  lost,  is 
mocked  by  a  mirage,  as  maddening  as  it  is  illusive.  On  this  hy- 
pothesis the  history  of  humanity  is  a  tragedy,  and  man's  soul  is  pur- 
poseless. Those  who  look  forward  to  no  other  life,  and  hold  that 
death  is  merely  equivalent  to 

"Quitting  mortality,  a  quenched  sun-wave, 
The  All-creating  Presence  for  his  grave," 

may  well  despair,  as  did  the  gifted  authoress  of  those  lines,  George 
Eliot,  who  from  a  once  devout  Christian  had  become  a  disbeliever 
in  Christianity.  How  mournful  is  her  confession  to  a  friend:— 
"I  see  no  hope  for  humanity  but  one  grand,  simultaneous  act  of 

suicide!" 

In  truth,  of  what  use  are  our  scientific  discoveries,  if  all  we 
ascertain,  beyond  the  knowledge  of  phenomena,  is  the  sterile  fact 


56 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


that  we,  a  colony  of  God-forsaken  waifs,  are  floating  on  a  planetary 
derelict  in  an  uncharted  sea,  doomed  to  inevitable  annihilation, 
without  a  notion  of  who  started  us  upon  our  hopeless  voyage,  or 
where  our  shortlived  barque  will  founder?  Of  what  use  are  our 
spiritual  longings,  our  intellectual  achievements,  and  our  deathless 
loves,  if  the  brief  period  of  human  life  upon  our  planet  be  nothing 
but  an  interval  of  fevered  consciousness,  a  hyphen  in  that  planet's 
history  between  one  billion  years  of  fire  and  another  billion  years 
of  frost? 

We  have  within  us  practically  limitless  capacities  for  acquiring 
knowledge,  and  we  crave  that  knowledge.  Yet  in  this  life  we  can,  as 
Newton  said,  pick  up  a  few  shells  only  on  the  shore  of  the  ocean  of 
truth.  It  is  as  if  a  man,  who  had  with  difficulty  learned  to  read,  had 
opened  his  first  volume  and  deciphered  a  few  lines,  when  he  was 
smitten  with  blindness!  In  all  the  countless  forms  of  animal  and 
vegetable  life  around  us  everything  fulfils  its  purpose.  In  man,  how- 
ever, we  have  a  being,  who  scarcely  has  begun  his  work,  before  he 
has  to  leave  it!  The  noble  Pagan  moralist  Plutarch  says: — ^**God  is 
a  trifler,  if  He  makes  so  much  of  creatures  in  whom  there  is  nothing 
permanent,  nothing  steadfast,  and  nothing  which  resembles  Himself. 
.  .  .  For  Him  to  spend  His  care  on  creatures  such  as  these  would 
be  to  imitate  those  who  make  gardens  in  oyster  shells." 

A  somewhat  similar  idea  is  expressed  by  Goethe  in  his  criticism 
of  "Hamlet": — ^"A  mighty  purpose  in  the  human  soul  is  like  an  oak, 
planted  in  a  china  vase.  The  vessel  is  inevitably  shattered  by  the 
expansion  of  the  seed  within.  So  is  it,  if  we  limit  man's  existence 
to  the  narrow  period  between  the  cradle  and  the  grave.  Is  the 
growing  plant  to  wither  as  soon  as  the  vessel  is  filled  or  broken  by 
it?"  Even  the  sceptic.  Buckle,  wrote  that  the  belief  in  a  future  state 
approaches  more  nearly  to  certainty  than  any  other  belief,  and  that 
its  destruction  would  drive  most  of  us  to  despair.  In  order  to  jus- 
tify the  introduction  of  man  upon  this  planet  by  a  Being  of  infinite 
wisdom  and  goodness,  we  feel  that  man's  life  should  not  be  left  in- 
complete. Our  undeveloped  powers,  therefore,  are  prophetic  of  their 
own  development,  although  not  necessarily  in  this  world. 

If  any  further  essential  evolution  of  man  upon  this  earth  had  been 
intended,  there  has  been  plenty  of  time  for  its  commencement  to 
have  been  observed  in  the  last  two  thousand  years.  We  are  told 
that  man's  progress  now  is  intellectual,  not  corporeal.  But  even  so, 
it  must  be  said  that  man  has  made  very  little  real  intellectual  prog- 
ress in  the  last  two  millenniums.  Eliminating  mechanical  inventions 
and  purely  scientific  discoveries  (which,  grand  and  wonderful  as 
many  of  them  are,  are  not  of  the  highest  order  of  mentality,  and  do 
not  make  man  either  better  or  more  spiritual),  we  seem  to  have 
retrograded  since  the  days  of  Sophocles  and  Aristotle,  when,  it  is 


IMMORTALITY 


57 


generally  conceded,  the  Athenians  reached  the  highest  intellectual 
level  yet  attained  by  any  people.    There  is  scarcely  a  great  modern 
idea  (outside  the  realm  just  mentioned),  which  was  not  once  the 
property  of  the  ancients.    The  Genii  of  the  past  still  dominate  a 
mighty  portion  of  the  intellectual  world.    Pythagoras  is  the  father 
of  our  pantheism;  Democritus  the  inventor  of  the  atomic  theory. 
"Out  of  Plato,"  says  Emerson,  "come  all  things  that  are  still  written 
and  debated  among  men  of  thought."  Praxiteles  and  Phidias  are  still 
unrivalled;  Homer  is  still  the  "Father  of  poetry";  Demosthenes  is 
the  model  of  orators;    Seneca,  Epictetus,  Plutarch,  and  Marcus 
Aurelius,  as  moralists,  are  unsurpassed.     According  to  the  theory 
that  man's  evolution  is  now  purely  intellectual,  we  ought  to  have 
had  by  this  time  many  master-minds;  but  the  contrary  is  the  case. 
It  may  be  even  fairly  questioned  whether  the  power  of  the  human 
brain  has  kept  its  former  average,  now  that  its  strength  is  dissipated 
by  the  immense  diffusion  of  intellectual  culture  over  many  fields. 
Gladstone  stated  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  brains  of  the  modern  gen- 
eration of  Britons  showed  a  deterioration  of  power,  as  compared  with 
those  of  the  Elizabethan  age.    The  entire  stock  of  the  world's  knowl- 
edge is,  of  course,  enormously  increased,  but  the  brain-power  itself 
is  decreasing,  partly  because  of  the  vast  amount  of  knowledge  to  be 
acquired,  partly  because  of  the  superficial  way  in  which  we  hurry 
over  it.    If,  then,  we  cannot  see  here  any  essential  evolution  in  man- 
kind, either  corporeally  or  intellectually,  in  the  space  of  two  mil- 
lenniums, may  we  not  reasonably  hope  that  the  next  step  towards 
the  realisation  of  man's  possibilities  will  be  taken  by  him  on  another 
stage,  the  lowly  door  to  which  is  death? 

The  science  of  evolution  points  the  way  to  this,  and  Christ  Him- 
self assures  us  of  it.  "Because  I  live,"  He  says,  "ye  shall  live  also." 
How  sublime,  too,  are  the  words  of  St.  Paul:— "There  are  celestial 
bodies,  and  bodies  terrestrial ;  but  the  glory  of  the  celestial  is  one, 
and  the  glory  of  the  terrestrial  is  another.  .  •  .  So  also  is  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead.  It  is  sown  in  corruption;  it  is  raised  in  incor- 
ruption;  it  is  sown  in  dishonour;  it  is  raised  in  glory;  it  is  sown  a 
natural  body;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body.  .  .  .  For  this  corruptible 
must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immor- 
tality." 

Think  for  a  moment  of  the  grave,  and  try  to  imagine  your  Self, 
your  Soul,  your  aspirations,  your  capacities,  as  ending  there/  We 
feel  instinctively  that  we  are  something  higher  than  our  bodies,  and 
are  destined  to  survive  them,  as  we  survive  the  parting  with  an  out- 
worn garment. 

It  is  inspiring  also  to  remember  that,  in  holding  a  belief  in  a 
future  life,  we  are  companioned  not  by  Christians  only,  but  also  by 
the  noblest  spirits  of  the  Pagan  past.    Socrates  held  that  death  gave 


58 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


to  the  soul  a  happy  release  from  the  body.  "I  am  persuaded,"  he 
said,  "that  I  am  going  to  other  gods,  who  are  wise  and  good;  and 
also,  I  trust,  to  men  departed,  who  are  better  than  those  I  leave 
behind;  therefore  I  do  not  grieve,  as  otherwise  I  might,  for  I  have 
good  hope  that  there  is  yet  something  awaiting  the  dead,  and  a  far 
better  lot  for  the  good  than  for  the  wicked."  **You  may  do  with 
my  body  what  you  will,"  he  also  said,  "provided  you  do  not  imagine 
that  to  be  me."  Cicero  declared  that  he  was  filled  with  joy  at  the 
thought  of  the  bright  day,  which  should  transport  him  to  that  meet- 
ing-place of  upright  souls,  whither  his  loved  ones  had  preceded  him. 
Seneca  also  wrote: — ^'^This  life  is  only  a  prelude  to  eternity.  .  .  . 
The  day  will  come  that  shall  separate  this  mixture  of  soul  and  body, 
of  divine  and  human.  My  body  I  will  leave  where  I  found  it;  my 
soul  I  will  restore  to  Heaven,  which  would  have  already  had  it  but 
for  the  clog  that  keeps  it  down.  .  .  .  Let  us  live  in  our  bodies,  as 
if  we  were  only  to  lodge  in  them  to-night,  and  to  leave  them  to- 
morrow. .  .  .  Let  us  measure  life  by  deeds,  not  by  time.  To  die 
sooner  or  later  is  not  the  main  concern,  but  to  die  well  or  ill;  for 
death  brings  us  to  immortality.  Our  bodies  must  perish,  as  being 
only  the  covering  of  the  soul.  We  shall  then  discover  the  secrets  of 
Nature ;  darkness  shall  be  dispersed,  and  our  souls  shall  be  irradiated 
with  light  and  glory, — z  glory  without  a  shadow;  a  glory  that  shall 
surround  us,  and  from  which  we  shall  look  down,  and  see  day  and 
night  beneath  us.  If  we  cannot  lift  up  our  eyes  towards  the  lamp 
of  Heaven  without  being  dazzled,  what  shall  we  do  when  we  come 
to  behold  the  Divine  light  in  its  illustrious  original?" 

Another  powerful  argument  for  a  future  life  is  furnished  by  the 
conviction,  which  most  of  us  instinctively  and  necessarily  feel,  that 
God*s  great  Moral  Law  must  ultimately  triumph. 

This  craving  for  a  compensation  for  the  inequalities  of  justice 
in  this  life  is  undeniable.  We  see  it  even  in  our  wish  that  fiction 
and  the  drama  should  display  the  final  victory  of  the  good  and  kind, 
the  punishment  of  the  bad  and  cruel.  If  such  is  not  the  end,  we 
are  dissatisfied.  A  pessimistic  ending  may  be  "true  to  life"  and 
more  "artistic,"  but  we  do  not  like  it.  We  feel  it  is  unjust.  Our 
human  life  may  well  be  likened  to  the  opening  act  of  a  drama,  the 
plot  of  which  is  not  yet  clear.  Hence  we  desire  and  expect  to  see 
its  further  development.  There  is  indeed  a  sense  in  which  the  ver- 
dict of  mankind  anticipates  God's  final  judgment,  for  in  the  long 
run  history  usually  gives  its  honours  to  the  good  and  loyal,  while 
the  tyrannical  and  treacherous  are  detested.  Martyrs,  religious  or 
political,  seldom  fail  eventually  to  be  revered,  while  those  who  mur- 
der them  are  execrated.  Criminals  also,  as  a  rule,  are  brought  to 
justice;  "murder  will  out"  in  a  majority  of  cases;  nor  are  the  guilty 
often  happy  in  their  guilt,  even  though  sin  may  have  rendered  them 


IMMORTALITY 


59 


materially  prosperous.  Remorse  is  at  times  a  very  real  and  terrible 
consequence  of  crime.  We  also  see  the  effects  of  sin  upon  our  char- 
acters. Good  actions  tend  to  make  us  better,  nobler  and  stronger; 
bad  actions,  on  the  contrary,  debase  us.  There  is  no  escape  from 
this  spiritual  result.  In  this  respect,  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that 
must  he  also  reap.  His  sin  may  be  forgiven  him  by  God,  but  it 
will  leave  its  stain  upon  his  memory,  its  taint  upon  his  thought,  a 
weakness  in  his  will,  an  evil  tendency  in  his  impulses.  And  the 
spiritual  record  stands! 

"The  Moving  Finger  writes ;  and,  having  writ. 
Moves  on ;  nor  all  your  piety  nor  wit 

Shall  lure  it  back  to  cancel  half  a  line, 
Nor  all  your  tears  wash  out  a  word  of  it." 

What  is  this  but  the  application  of  the  inexorable  law  of  cause 
and  effect  to  the  immaterial  world, — that  is  to  say,  to  the  soul? 

But  for  the  average  man  the  verdict  of  posterity  is  too  remote, 
the  instances  of  retribution  are  too  few,  and  the  effects  of  sin  upon 
the  moral  nature  not  enough,  to  satisfy  his  craving  for  God's  perfect 
justice.  Nevertheless  he  still  has  confidence  that  the  books  of  God 
will  ultimately  balance.  Why  is  this?  Whence  comes  it  that,  de- 
spite so  many  facts  which  militate  against  it,  man  still  believes  in 
his  accountability  to  God,  and  feels  assured  that  justice  will  prevail 
at  last,  dispensed  by  a  personal  God,  or  by  an  impersonal  Force, 
called  Destiny,  or  Karma?  Even  our  modern  pantheists  and  agnos- 
tics cannot  wholly  give  up  the  Greek  idea  of  an  inevitable  Nemesis 
for  crime.  They  scoff,  it  is  true,  at  the  supposition  of  a  personal 
God,  yet  they  retain  the  more  incredible  notion  of  an  impersonal 
Fate  as  the  awarder  of  even-handed  justice,  or  as  the  avenger  of 
wrong-doing! 

What  is  the  origin  of  this  irresistible  conviction?  It  comes  not 
from  experience,  for  much  of  our  experience  is  not  of  the  kind  of 
which  we  have  just  spoken.  Retribution  does  not  always  follow 
guilt  and  strike  the  guilty  one.  In  this  world  crime  is  frequently 
successful;  the  criminal  is  often  undetected;  sometimes  the  inno- 
cent actually  suffers  for  the  guilty.  Plainly  a  faith  in  ultimate  jus- 
tice, therefore,  must  be  born  in  man,  together  with  the  Moral  Law 
itself.  It  is  easy  to  assert  that,  since  God  tolerates  injustice  here, 
He  will  continue  to  tolerate  it  hereafter,  but  the  heart  cries  out 
against  such  an  idea,  and  reason  finds  that  it  would  be  illogical.  The 
very  fact  that  man's  desire  for  the  triumph  of  God's  justice  is  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  form  one  of  the  principal  grounds  of  his  belief  in 
immortality,  is  in  itself  a  reason  for  believing  in  that  triumph;  and 
since  it  is  indisputable  that  the  vast  majority  of  mankind  does  look 
forward  to  that  reign  of  righteousness,  we  may  feel  sure  that  what  is 


/ 


6o  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

so  instinctively  and  universally  demanded  by  the  human  soul,  must 
have  a  basis  in  reality. 

Besides  all  this,  however,  to  minds  amenable  to  the  argument  from 
Revelation  comes  the  overwhelming  testimony  of  Christ  Himself. 
His  entire  teaching  rests  upon  the  theory  that  our  souls  are  death- 
less, and  He  continually  alludes  to  the  future  life,  as  being  that  for 
which  we  here  are  to  prepare  ourselves.  He  does  not,  it  is  true, 
attempt  to  demonstrate  this,  but  takes  the  fact  for  granted  as  one 
assumes  the  existence  of  one's  native  land,  when  speakmg  of  it  in  a 
foreign  country.  ''My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  He  says.  In 
My  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you,  that  where  I  am, 
there  ye  may  be  also."  He  represents  indeed  the  future  life  as  the 
complement  and  justification  of  this  one,  and  lays  great  emphasis  on 
the  fact  that  in  that  coming  life  there  will  be  a  Divine  Judgment  of 
men,  according  to  the  deeds  done  by  them  in  the  body. 

It  is  in  fact,  Christ  Himself  who  is  to  come  in  the  clouds  of 
Heav^n  and  in  the  glory  of  the  Father  to  judge,  reward  and  puntsh 
the  deeds  done  in  the  flesh!  Not  only  did  Jesus  teach  this  m  such 
parables  as  those  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  the  tares  and  the  wheat,  the 
wise  and  the  foolish  virgins,  and  many  more;  the  direct  and  exphcit 
language  which  He  used  in  regard  to  a  future  judgment  is  unmis- 
takable. When  we  read,  for  example,  the  solemn  words  contained 
in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  (xxv.  31-46),  beginning  with  the  decla- 
ration,— "When  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  His  glory,"  etc.,  and 
other  kindred  passages,  there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  the  mes- 
sage  that  Christ  intended  to  convey.  Its  truth  indeed  is  recognised 
by  all  Christians  who  repeat  sincerely  the  sentence  of  their^ creed:— 
"Whence  He  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead." 

Moreover,  Christ  distinctly  bade  the  poor  in  spirit  and  those  who 

are  persecuted  in  this  world  for  righteousness'  sake,  to  rejoice  and 

be  exceeding  glad,  for  great  shall  be  their  reward  in  Heaven.    This 

meets  the  longing  of  our  souls.    When  we  survey  this  worid,  with 

its  appalling  crimes  and  manifold  injustices,  we  feel  it  is  impossible 

that  men  can  be  allowed  to  pass  triumphantly  through  careers  of 

iniquity,  and  then  slip  out  of  all  accountability  through  annihilation, 

eluding  thus  the  justice  of  Eternal  God.    We  also  feel  that  it  is 

utterly  incredible  that  nothing  in  the  future  will  reward  the  virtuous 

who  have  suffered  here,  and  compensate  God's  children  who  have 

here  been  wretched.    Instinctively  we  place  our  confidence  in  the 

Divine  assurance:— "And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 

eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 

neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain;  for  the  former  things  are 

passed  away"  (Rev.  xxi.  4).  . 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  these  considerations  and  the  unequivocal 


IMMORTALITY 


61 


statements  of  Christ,  we  have  to  face  a  fact  which  Dr.  William 
Osier  mentions  in  his  "Science  and  Immortality."  He  writes: — 
"Without  a  peradventure  it  may  be  said  that  a  living  faith  in  a 
future  existence  has  not  the  slightest  influence  in  the  settlement  of 
the  grave  social  and  national  problems  that  confront  the  race  to-day." 
Well,  so  much  the  worse,  then,  for  the  race.  The  fact  that  many 
at  the  present  time  seem  wholly  indifferent  to  the  question  of 
immortality,  and  have  no  faith  in  any  future  system  of  rewards  and 
punishments,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the  dogma. 

Probably  most  of  those  Indififerentists  have  not  seriously  thought 
upon  the  subject,  or  do  not  wish  to  think  of  it.  They  should,  how- 
ever, bear  in  mind — (as  has  already  been  observed) — that  though  it 
be  impossible  to  prove  scientifically  that  the  soul  does  survive  the 
body,  it  is  equally  impossible  to  prove  that  it  does  not  survive  it. 
Hence,  the  possibility  of  a  future  existence  must  be  reckoned  with, 
even  by  those  who  hold  that  death  ends  all.  They  cannot  be 
certain  that  their  view  is  the  correct  one.  In  fact,  the  only  future 
event,  of  which  they  can  be  absolutely  certain,  is  that  of  death,  which 
cannot  under  ordinary  circumstances  even  be  foreseen.  If  it 
be  true  that  millions  are  to-day  indifferent  to  the  question  of  a 
future  life,  it  proves  how  far  our  prevalent  materialism  has  lowered 
man's  moral  standards,  but  it  does  not  prove  that  a  future  life  is 
impossible. 

Certain  it  is  that,  in  the  case  of  all  of  us,  the  time  is  short  before 
the  question  must  be  settled  for  us,  individually  and  alone.  We 
may  for  a  few  years  keep  this  greatest  of  all  subjects  from  our 
thoughts  by  clogging  them  with  worldly  cares,  or  by  a  mental  opiate 
of  dissipation ;  but  not  always.  We  can  for  a  time  refuse  to  lift  our 
gaze  above  the  glare  of  the  electric  light;  yet  overhead  still  wait  for 
us  the  starry  heavens,  and  in  our  souls  abides  the  sense  of  our  ac- 
countability to  God.  A  time  will  come, — may  come  at  any  moment, 
— ^when  this  ephemeral  existence,  with  its  business  occupations, 
wealth  and  pleasures,  must  be  left.  Some  callously  declare  that  they 
shall  then  expire  like  the  beasts,  and  pass  at  once  to  nothingness. 
But,  in  the  face  of  man's  unsatisfied  desires  and  potentialities,  of  his 
instinctive  longing  for  the  reign  of  perfect  justice,  and  of  the  positive 
words  of  Christ  in  reference  to  a  future  judgment,  how  do  they 
know  that  they  will  pass  thus  into  annihilation,  untried,  unrecom- 
pensed,  unpunished?  They  do  not  know  it.  They  cannot  know 
it.    The  fact  that  they  desire  it  does  not  make  it  true. 

And  if  they  do  not  find  annihilation  at  death's  ix)rtal,  but  on  the 
contrary  confront  their  Maker  and  their  Judge  there,  well,  what 
then?  One  thing  is  sure; — of  all  that  they  desired  here, — rank, 
riches,  pleasures,  personal  beauty,  power,  fame, — they  can  take 
nothing  with  them.    All  that  will  go  with  them  into  the  future  life 


62  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

wiU  be —not  what  they  have,  but  what  they  are.  To  aU  men,  there- 
fore  it  must  seem  possible,  to  most  men  probable,  and  to  Christians 
certain,  that  this  life  is  not  all;  that  this  world's  sorrow,  suffering 
and  bereavement  are  not  the  meaningless  precursors  of  annihilation ; 
that  all  the  great  achievements  of  the  human  mind  will  not  end 
uselessly  upon  a  lifeless  orb;  that  earth's  injustices  will  not  rest 
unavenged;  that  worthy,  pious  and  self-sacrificmg  deeds  will  not 
go  unrewarded;  and,  above  all,  that  Heaven  is  not  a  mere  mirage, 
nor  God  a  myth,  nor  immortality  an  idle  dream. 


Chapter  VII 

REVELATION 

"One  God,  one  law,  one  element, 
And  one  far-off,  divine  event. 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves." 

Tennyson. 

"First,  I  would  ask :— What  do  you  believe?  Put  it  in  words.  Con- 
ceive it  in  thought.  Fix  your  mind's  eye  upon  it.  Put  it  in  writing 
in  some  silent  hour;  know  at  least  what  it  is.  As  you  value  your 
eternal  soul  ...  be  not  content  to  abide  in  uncertainty  and  indefi- 
niteness  concerning  the  truth,  which  you  know  to  be  vitally  necessary 
to  your  salvation." — Cardinal  Manning. 

"God's  Revelation  of  Himself  is  a  drawing  back  of  the  veil  or  cur- 
tain, which  concealed  Him  from  men ;  it  is  not  man  finding  out  God, 
but  God  discovering  Himself  to  man." — Trench. 

THE  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  reality  of  a  future  life 
and  a  final  judgment  of  mankind  was  either  the  utterance  of 
a  fallible  human  being,  or  it  was  part  of  the  Divine  Revela- 
tion, which  He  brought  to  this  world. 

My  next  inquiry,  therefore,  was  whether  such  a  Revelation  had 
been  made,  and  if  so,  whether  the  nature  of  the  message  and  the 
messenger  were  of  such  a  character  that  I  could  accept  them  as 
Divine.  As  for  the  inherent  probability  of  a  Revelation  being  made 
by  God  to  man,  I  asked  myself,  if  it  were  rationally  conceivable  that 
such  a  God  as  I  had  come  to  believe  in  would  set  in  motion  this 
amazing  piece  of  mechanism,  called  the  Earth,  and  then  deliberately 
leave  it  to  its  fate,  neglecting  in  particular  the  finest  and  most 
delicate  portion  of  it  all, — the  human  soul.  It  absolutely  contradicts 
the  character  of  such  a  Being  that  He  should  let  this  human  colony 
rush  aimlessly  through  space  upon  a  relatively  short-lived  globe, 
with  no  instruction  from  Him  whatsoever,  and  no  Revelation  of 
His  will  concerning  it.  If  man  has  been  created  for  some  definite 
purpose,  as  is  to  be  supposed  from  an  intelligent  Creator,  how  can  he 
learn  the  nature  of  that  purpose,  the  goal  assigned  to  him,  and  the 
conditions  of  attaining  it,  unless  he  has  received  from  God  some  indi- 
cation of  His  wish  and  some  commands  as  to  man's  line  of  conduct? 
That  some  Divine  Revelation  would  be  given  to  mankind  is, 
therefore,  antecedently  probable;  and  such  an  expectation  was 
cherished  by  many  of  the  noblest  intellects  of  antiquity.  Centuries 
before  the  multitude  heard  from  the  lips  of  Christ  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  Socrates  said  to  Alcibiades: — ^''It  seems  to  me  necessary 

63 


64  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

to  wait  until  someone  comes  to  instruct  us  how  we  ought  to  conduct 
ourselves  towards  God  and  men."  Seneca  also  wrote:— *'No  man  is 
in  a  condition  to  help  himself;  someone  above  him  must  stretch  forth 
his  hand  and  raise  him  up."  To  those  great  souls  it  did  not  seem 
consistent  with  God's  character  that,  having  made  us  and  so  carefully 
prepared  a  home  for  us,  He  should  abandon  us  to  total  ignorance. 

Nor  has  He  done  so.     First,  the  impressive  Revelation  of  His 
power  and  wisdom  through  His  works  has  been  sufficient,  almost 
universally,  to  prove  to  man  that  God  exists;  and  this  belief  is 
strengthened  by  the  Revelation  of  the  Moral  Law,  implanted  in  the 
human  breast,  which  also  leads  man  to  believe  that  God  is  righteous, 
and  will  ultimately  usher  in  the  reign  of  justice,  which  we  all  desire. 
These  two  great  Revelations  were,  for  centuries,  all  that  the  vast 
majority  of  the  race  possessed,  and  by  their  modicum  of  light,  not 
ours,  will  that  majority  no  doubt  be  judged.    St.  Paul  (Rom.  i.  20) 
affirms  that  those  who  reject  these  proofs  of  God's  existence  are  with- 
out excuse;  and  if  by  careful  searching  we  could  find  (which  is 
exceedingly  doubtful)  a  race  of  men  with  no  belief  in  God  whatever, 
they  would  assuredly  be  the  most  degraded  of  the  human  species, 
with  whom  it  were  no  honour  for  a  modern  atheist  to  be  allied. 

The  Christian  religion,  however,  claims  that  God  has  made  to 
men  a  much  more  definite  and  perfect  Revelation  of  Himself  than 
those  of  natural  religion  and  of  conscience.  Is  this  true?  That 
was  the  next  essential  point  for  me  to  settle. 

Newman  has  nobly  said  of  this  Revelation:— "It  comes  to  you 
recommended  and  urged  upon  you  by  the  most  favourable  anticipa- 
lions  of  reason.  The  very  difficulties  of  nature  make  it  likely  that 
a  Revelation  should  be  made;  the  very  mysteries  of  creation  call  for 
some  act  on  the  part  of  the  Creator,  by  which  those  mysteries  shall 
be  alleviated  to  you  or  compensated You  cannot  help  expect- 
ing it  from  the  hands  of  the  All-merciful,  unworthy  as  you  feel 
yourselves  of  it.  It  is  not  that  you  can  claim  it,  but  that  He  inspires 
the  hope  of  it;  it  is  not  that  you  are  worthy  of  the  gift,  but  it  is  the 

gift  which  is  worthy  of  your  Creator The  very  fact  that  there 

is  a  Creator,  and  a  hidden  one,  powerfully  bears  you  on,  and  sets  you 
down  at  the  very  threshold  of  a  Revelation,  and  leaves  you  there, 
looking  up  earnestly  for  Divine  tokens  that  a  Revelation  has  been 

made."  .  . 

That  a  Divine  Revelation  will  contain  no  mysteries  we  cannot, 
of  course,  expect.  If  it  had  none,  it  would  not  be  a  Revelation.  A 
Revelation  from  God  must  reveal  something,  which  man's  unaided 
reason  could  not  possibly  have  ascertained;  for  if  the  truths  revealed 
could  have  been  gained  by  human  reason,  what  was  the  need  of  the 
Revelation?  It  follows  that  a  Divine  disclosure  of  truths,  other- 
wise unattainable,  should  be  accepted,  not  critically  and  sceptically, 


REVELATION 


65 


but  as  a  message  from  God,  and  in  that  childlike  spirit  which  Jesus 
pronounced  necessary  for  entering  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 

A  revelation,  however,  implies  a  revealer;  a  message  necessitates 
a  messenger.  Christ  claimed  to  be  that  messenger.  His  words  upon 
this  point  are  unmistakable.  He  stated  repeatedly  that  He  had 
come  from  His  Father,  as  the  Son  of  God,  for  a  special  purpose. 
"For  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth"  (St.  John  xviii.  37).  His  teachings,  therefore,  were 
the  Revelation  which  His  Father  had  commissioned  Him  to  bring 
to  mankind.  "The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  that  which  was 
lost"  (Luke  xix.  10).  "He  that  seeth  Me,  seeth  Him  that  sent  Me" 
(John  xii.  45).  "For  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to  con- 
demn  the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved" 
(John  iii.  17).  "He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son,  honoureth  not  the 
Father,  which  hath  sent  Him."  "I  am  come  in  My  Father's  name, 
and  ye  receive  Me  not."  "The  Father  that  sent  Me  beareth  witness 
of  Me."  "I  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent  Me,  while  it  is 
day."  "Father,  the  hour  is  come.  .  .  .  /  have  finished  the  work 
which  Thou  gavest  Me  to  do." 

Where,  then,  is  the  record  of  this  Divine  Revelation,  brought  by 
Christ  to  mankind,  to  be  found?    Unquestionably  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  in  the  teaching  of  the  Church  which  He  founded.    Return- 
ing first,  therefore,  to  a  study  of  my  long-neglected  Bible,  what  was 
I  to  say  of  it?     Certainly  nothing  disrespectful.    To  speak  even 
flippantly  of  the  Bible  is  to  show  oneself  an  ignoramus.    In  a  merely 
literary  sense  the  writings  it  contains  are  unsurpassed;  and  were  we 
to  eliminate  from  literature  that  Book  of  books,  with  all  that  is 
connected  with  it,  or  has  been  inspired  by  it,  the  void  would  be 
appalling.    After  thousands  of  years  it  still  remains  the  most  perfect 
form  in  which  religious  sentiment  ever  expressed  itself.     Renan 
declares:— "Hebrew  literature  is  the  Bible,— the  Book  par  excellence, 
the  universal  study.    Other  literatures  of  the  East  can  be  read  and 
appreciated  only  by  the  learned.     Israel  alone,   among  all   the 
Orientals,  had  the  privilege  of  writing  for  the  whole  world.    Millions 
of  men,  scattered  throughout  the  world,  know  no  other  poetry" 
{Rev.  des  Deux  Mondes,  November,   1855).     The  precepts  of 
the    Vedas,    the    ethical    teachings    of    Buddha,    Mencius,    Con- 
fucius, and  the  Stoic  philosophers  Marcus  Aurelius,  Seneca  and 
Epictetus,  are  admirable,  when  taken  by  themselves;  but,  placed 
beside  the  words  of  Christ,  they  are  like  ordinary  stones  compared 

with  precious  gems.  , 

What,  then,  was  the  essence  of  Christ's  teaching?  First,  He 
proclaimed  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  He  does  not  represent  God  as  a 
vague,  impersonal  Entity,  "an  enduring  Power,  not  ourselves,  that 
makes  for  righteousness,"  as  Matthew  Arnold  defines  the  Deity; 


66 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


REVELATION 


67 


but  rather  that  God  is  our  living,  loving  Father,  to  whom  we  arc 
to  pray  precisely  in  these  terms, — ^"Our  Father,  who  art  in 
Heaven."  This  Father,  Christ  assured  us,  has  not  abandoned 
us,  but,  on  the  contrary,  loves  us  and  cares  for  us  continually,  and 
He  affirmed  this  not  speculatively  but  "with  authority,  and  not  as 
the  scribes." 

Secondly,  He  revealed  the  Godhead  in  the  solemn  mysteries  of 
His  own  Sonship,  and  of  the  nature  and  office  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
"the  Comforter,"  whose  coming  He  promised,  to  complete  His  own 
Revelation. 

Thirdly,  He  declared  repeatedly  man's  accountability  to  God, 
and  prophesied  a  final  judgment  of  mankind  and  a  never-ending  life 
beyond  the  grave. 

If  He  gave  little  information  about  that  future  life,  it  is  probably 
due  to  the  fact  that  to  us,  with  our  present  limitations,  its  conditions 
would  be  incomprehensible.  This  He  implied  in  the  words: — ^'^If 
I  have  told  you  earthly  things  and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall  ye 
believe,  if  I  tell  you  of  heavenly  things?"  (John  iii.  12).  How 
indeed  can  we  comprehend  a  spiritual  existence,  where  all  the  bodily 
appetites,  which  constitute  such  a  large  and  dangerous  element  in 
our  earthly  lives,  shall  have  become  extinct,  and  where  wealth,  power 
and  social  eminence,  as  we  know  them,  shall  have  no  more  value? 
Christ  exercised  certainly,  in  regard  to  all  details  about  the  future 
life,  a  serious,  and  no  doubt  intentional,  reserve.  He  even  dis- 
couraged too  much  curiosity  about  it.  When  one  of  His  disciples 
tried  to  obtain  some  special  information  in  reference  to  the  future, 
the  Saviour  answered  him: — ^^11  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come, 
what  is  that  to  thee?  follow  thou  Me"  (John  xxi.  22). 

Very  significant,  however,  is  one  illuminating  utterance  which 
He  made  to  the  Sadducees,  when  they  had  cynically  asked  Him, 
whose  wife  would  be  in  the  next  world  the  woman  who  had  had  in 
this  one  several  husbands.  Jesus  replied  to  them: — ^^*In  the  resur- 
rection they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the 
angels  of  God  in  heaven"  (Matt.  xxii.  30).  In  other  words,  not 
physical  and  animal,  but  incorporeal  and  spiritual  conditions  there 
prevail. 

Yet  ignorance  of  the  characteristics  of  the  "heavenly  country" 
and  of  the  "city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker 
is  God,"  is  no  argument  for  their  non-existence.  On  the  contrary, 
in  view  of  Christ's  positive  assurances  on  the  subject  we  can  be 
certain  that  they  do  exist,  although  no  mortal  eye  hath  ever  seen 
them.  Our  ignorance  of  the  future  life  has  indeed  one  positive 
advantage, — ^it  keeps  us  relatively  humble.  If  there  remained  no 
mysteries  for  us  to  stand  in  awe  of,  how  utterly  unbearable  would 
be  man's  pride  and  arrogance,  when  even  now  he  thinks  he  can 


exclude  his  Maker  from  the  universe,  and  often  speaks  of  the  condi- 
tions of  the  life  beyond  the  grave  in  terms  of  vulgarity  and  levity. 

The  principal  characteristics  of  Christ's  Revelation,  therefore, 
are: — God, — an  Eternal  Spirit,  our  Creator  and  Father;  the  Incar- 
nate Son  of  God,  sent  by  the  Father  to  redeem  the  human  race; 
man's  accountability  to  God,  and  the  certainty  of  a  future  life  and 
of  a  judgment  to  come.  Added  to  these,  as  parts  of  His  Divine 
mission,  are  also  the  code  of  morals  taught  in  His  parables  and  in  His 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  the  founding  by  Him  of  a  Church,  which 
was  to  preach  and  to  preserve  His  teachings  till  the  consummation 
of  the  world. 

When  one  reflects  upon  it,  it  is  a  fearful  thing  that  there  are  still 
so  many  in  the  world,  who  disbelieve  the  fact  that  God  once  sent 
His  Son  upon  this  mission,  and  who,  scoffing  at  His  Revelation,  deem 
the  Incarnate  God  a  mortal  like  themselves!  Still  are  the  mournful 
words  of  St.  John  true: — ^*The  light  shineth  in  darkness,  and  the 
darkness  comprehended  it  not  (i.  5).  .  .  •  He  was  in  the  world, 
and  the  world  was  made  by  Him,  and  the  world  knew  Him  not!" 
(i.  10).  At  present,  the  enemies  of  Christ  are  exulting  over  what 
they  term  the  failure  of  His  so-called  mission  and  the  "breakdown" 
of  Christianity. 

It  is  unquestionable  that  something  has  failed  and  broken  down, 
but  that  something  is  not  Christianity;  it  is  Christendom,  The  words 
are  not  synonymous.  Christianity  is  a  spuritual  appellation,  Christen- 
dom a  political  or  geographical  one.  The  religion  of  Christ  is  not  to 
blame  for  what  self-designated  "Christian"  nations  make  of  it. 
The  world  would  be  relieved,  as  if  by  magic,  from  its  sin  and  misery, 
if  men  would  only  honestly  receive  Christ's  Revelation  as  the  guide 
of  their  lives,  and  obey  its  precepts.  If  the  "Christian"  world  is 
not  yet  better,  it  is  because  it  is  not  Christian,  The  fault  lies,  not 
with  the  Founder  of  Christianity,  but  partly  with  the  millions  who 
reject  Him,  and  partly  with  those  of  His  professed  adherents,  whose 
lives  form  frequently  a  fatal  obstacle  to  the  acceptance  of  His  Gospel. 
Countless  instances  could,  of  course,  be  cited  to  prove  this,  both  in 
the  history  of  nations  and  individuals.  Suffice  it  now  to  mention 
the  indisputable  fact  that  the  progress  of  Christianity  in  the  less 
civilised  portions  of  the  world  has  been  greatly  hindered,  precisely 
because  so  many  nominal  Christians  there  have  robbed,  brutally 
treated  and  murdered  helpless  natives.  Such  conduct  makes  the 
very  name  of  Christ  abhorred  by  the  poor,  hapless  "heathen" 
victims,  who  inevitably  associate  the  men  who  torture,  exploit  and 
enslave  them  with  the  religion  taught  by  missionaries  of  the  same 
race  and  colour.  What  shall  we  say,  too,  of  the  "Christians,"  who 
manufacture  in  Europe,  in  large  quantities,  bronze  and  iron  idols, 
ard  send  them  out  to  Asia,  Africa  and  Oceania  in  the  very  ships 


68 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


REVELATION 


69 


which  carry  thither  Christian  missionaries  and  the  publications  of  the 

Bible  Society? 

When  men  proclaim  the  "breakdown  of  Christianity,"  therefore, 
what  do  they  mean  by  "Christianity"?  Much  of  what  passes  under 
that  name  is  nothing  but  hypocrisy,  and  much  of  it  is  "Rationalism" 
wrongly  labelled.  That  sort  of  thing  has  unquestionably  broken 
down;  but  that,  I  repeat,  is  not  Christianity,  but  Christendom. 
Moreover,  as  Mr.  Mallock  reminds  us,  even  if  Protestantism  or  dis- 
tinctively Rationalistic  Christianity  should  prove  a  failure,  that 
would  by  no  means  prove  that  Christianity,  as  a  whole,  had  broken 
down. 

These  do  not  constitute  the  only  part  of  Christianity.  "We 
have  still,"  he  says,  "the  Church  of  Rome  to  deal  with,  which  is 
Christianity  in  its  oldest,  most  legitimate  and  most  coherent  form." 
Now  the  Church  of  Rome  will  certainly  not  break  down.  We 
have  Christ's  word  for  that.  Continually  attacked  by  new 
enemies,  it  is  as  constantly  defended  by  new  recruits.  Hence 
Catholics  always  have  this  ancient,  impregnable,  God-protected 
fortress  to  fall  back  upon,  however  fiercely  storms  of  infidelity  may 
beat  upon  it. 

Protestants,  however,  when  once  their  faith  in  an  infallible  Book 
is  lost,  have  nothing  left.  Their  Ethical  Societies,  numberless  antag- 
onistic sects,  and  National  Establishments,— all  differing  and  with- 
out authority, — are,  when  a  tidal  wave  of  scepticism  strikes  them, 
like  ships  without  a  rudder,  that  either  drift  as  derelicts,  or  go  to 
pieces  on  the  shoals  of  doubt  or  the  reefs  of  unbelief.  The  Catholic 
Church,  on  the  contrary,  stands  where  it  has  always  stood,  changeless 
in  form,  uncompromising  in  its  dogmas.  The  Pope  still  speaks 
with  authority,  as  he  has  always  done,  in  matters  of  faith  and 
morals.  If  the  world  shuts  its  ears  to  his  benignant  voice,  or  shouts 
it  down  with  blasphemy,  and  rushes  on  to  godlessness  and  ruin, 
IT  may  indeed  have  failed,  but  the  Catholic  Church  has  not 
jailed/ 

From  the  contemplation  of  murderous,  godless  Christendom,  as 
it  stands  to-day,  mankind  must  learn  the  need  of  turning  from  the 
pitiful  travesty  of  Christianity,  which  has  too  long  prevailed,  to  find 
once  more  the  real  Christianity  in  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
To  Him  and  to  His  teachings  the  weary,  disillusioned  world  must 
come,  if  it  is  not  to  perish.  Most  of  us  think  that  we  know  and 
understand  these  teachings  of  Christ,  but  do  we?  Let  us  re-read 
His  words  thoughtfully  and,  above  all,  prayerfully.  In  doing  this, 
after  an  interval  of  many  years,  I  personally  found  that  the  Gospels 
were  to  me  practically  a  new  book.  Scales  fell  from  my  eyes,  and 
beauty,  truth  and  spiritual  sublimity, — ^voiced  in  Divine  simplicity, — 
revealed  themselves  throughout  their  pages.    So  powerfully  indeed 


was  I  impressed  by  the  change  in  my  appreciation  of  Christ  s 
language,  that  I  was  constrained  to  kneel  in  prayer  and  ask  for 
further  light  and  guidance  from  the  Maker  of  my  soul.  It  seemed 
impossible  that  that  petition  should  remain  unanswered;  and  my 
request  expressed  itself  in  Newman's  touching  lines: — 

"Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom; 
Lead  Thou  me  on !" 


\' 


I 


Chapter  VIII 

''WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?'' 

"What  think  ye  of  Christ?"— 5/.  Matt,  xxii.  42. 

"Not  even  now  could  it  be  easy,  even  for  an  unbeliever,  to  find  a 
better  translation  of  the  rule  of  virtue  from  the  abstract  into  the  con- 
crete, than  to  endeavour  so  to  live,  that  Christ  would  approve  our  life." 
— ^JoHN  Stuart  Mill. 

"Whatever  else  may  be  taken  away  from  us  by  rational  criticism, 
Christ  is  still  left,  a  unique  figure,  not  more  unlike  all  his  precursors 
than  all  his  followers." — Idem. 

I  TURNED  now  from  the  message  to  the  Messenger,  and  put  to 
myself  the  question  which  Jesus  put  to  the  Pharisees  (St.  Matt, 
xxii.  42):— "What  think  ye  of  Christ?" 
I  knew  what  I  had  tried  to  think  of  Him  for  many  years,  but 
that  humanitarian  view  of  Him  now  seemed  to  me  impossible. 
Again  I  studied  His  extraordinary  life.    What  were  the  facts  dis- 
closed?    Born  in  a  manger;  of  a  lowly  origin;  dwelling  for  thirty 
years  not  only  in  a  conquered  country,  but  in  Galilee,— an  insig- 
nificant province  of  that  country,  and  in  one  of  the  obscurest  and 
least-esteemed  villages  of  that  province,— Nazareth ;  a  member  of  a 
narrow  and  self-centred  race;  speaking,  not  one  of  the  world's  great 
languages,  Greek  or  Latin,  but  a  dialect  of  Aramaic;  pursuing  the 
humble  occupation  of  a  carpenter;  leaving  no  record  of  his  per- 
sonal appearance,  or  of  His  views  concerning  science,  history,  art, 
literature,  or  philosophy;  associating  all  His  life  with  simple,  poor, 
uneducated  people;  having  no  wealth,  and  wishing  to  acquire  none; 
winning  His  followers  by  no  earthly  favours;   taking  no  part  irt 
politics;  protected  by  no  influential  friends  in  either  the  Roman 
government  circles  or  the  Jewish  priesthood;  on  the  contrary,  de- 
nouncing many  of  Jerusalem's  aristocrats  as  "whited  sepulchres, 
hypocrites,  and  broods  of  vipers";  selecting  His  disciples  and  future 
Apostles  among  humble  fishermen;  founding  no  philosophical  school; 
never  writing  a  line  Himself,  or  dictating  a  line  to  others;  leaving 
behind  Him  not  a  trace  of  personal  correspondence;  living  for  three 
years  only  in  the  public  gaze;  and,  finally,  before  reaching  middle 
life,  dying  by  the  shameful  death  of  the  Cross,  between  two  thieves, 
and  owing  His  place  of  burial  and  even  His  cerements  to  the  bounty 
of  a  stranger!    Could  anything  seem  less  likely  than  such  a  record  to 
transform  the  world?    Yet,  in  spite  of  all  these  apparently  unsur- 
mountable  obstacles  to  success,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  affected  human 
thought,  human  character,  human  ideals,  and  human  history  more 

70 


''WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?"  71 

deeply  than  all  the  other  children  of  mankind  combined;  has  won 
the  adoring  love  of  countless  millions ;  and  has  been  worshipped  as 
the  Son  of  God  for  nineteen  hundred  years! 
And  this  not  undesignedly  or  by  chance;  for,  while  He  was  still 

on  earth.  He  claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God,  and  predicted: "I 

if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me."    This  He,— and  He 
alone,— has  done  through  all  the  ages,  in  all  lands,  and  among  in- 
numerable myriads  of  men.    His  life  and  death  mark  the  turning 
point  of  the  history  of  the  world,  of  which  He  is  the  central  figure. 
Lamartine  has  truly  said  that  Christ's  tomb  was  the  grave  of  the 
old  world  and  the  cradle  of  the  new.     Moreover,  the  stream  of 
spiritual  energy,  which  came  from  Him,  has  never  spent  itself. 
Even  Strauss  says:— "Christ  and  Christianity  represent  the  highest 
moral  ideas  to  which  the  world  can  ever  expect  to  attain";  and  Renan 
declares:— "Jesus  will  never  be  surpassed.    His  religion  will  for  ever 
grow  young  again.    All  ages  will  proclaim  that  among  the  sons  of 
men  there  has  not  been  born  a  greater  than  Jesus.    Jesus  is  without 
a  peer.    His  glory  remains  intact.    In  Him  was  concentrated  all  that 
is  good  and  elevated  in  our  nature.    Each  of  us  owes  to  Jesus  all 
that  is  best  in  him.     Jesus  remains  an  inexhaustible  principle  of 
moral  regeneration  for  humanity.    The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  will 
never  be  excelled.     The  foundation  of  true  religion  is  verily  His 
work.    The  morality  of  the  Gospel  ...  is  the  most  beautiful  code 
of  perfect  life  which  any  moralist  has  traced."    He  also  speaks  of 
Christ  as  "that  sublime  person,  who  still  presides  perpetually  over 
the  destiny  of  the  world"  ("Vie  de  Jesus"). 

Buddha  is  sometimes  thought  to  bear  a  closer  resemblance  to 
Christ  than  any  other  prominent  figure  of  the  past.  In  gentleness, 
humility  and  charity  this  probably  is  true.  The  mighty  multitude 
of  Buddhists  in  the  world  attests  the  fact.  But  there  is  still  a  heaven* 
wide  difference  between  their  respective  attitudes.  Buddha  ad- 
vanced no  claim  to  be  either  God  or  the  Son  of  God.  He  longed  for 
death,  and  taught  his  followers  to  long  for  it,  and  to  extirpate  from 
their  souls  the  will  to  live,  because  the  miseries  of  life  were  too 
intense  to  be  endured.  Christ,  on  the  other  hand,  while  recognising 
all  the  sin  and  misery  of  earthly  existence,  did  not  proclaim  annihi- 
lation to  be  man's  greatest  boon,  but  pointed  to  a  life  hereafter,  as 
the  compensation  and  justification  of  the  present  one.  Buddha  be- 
lieved and  taught  that  human  blessedness  could  be  obtained  only 
through  the  extinction  of  man's  desires,— which  are  alike  the  origin 
of  temptation  and  the  source  of  suffering.  Jesus,  however,  was  "led 
up  by  the  spirit"  (that  is,  by  God's  will)  "to  be  tempted  in  the 
wilderness." 

^  He  was,  in  fact,  "tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  yet  without 
sm."  Human  character,  perfected  through  suffering  and  through 
resisfng  temptations,-— not  through  escaping  it  by  mental  apathy  or 


72 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


moral  numbness,— thsLt  is  the  ideal  of  Christ,  the  cornerstone  of 
Christian  doctrine. 

Many  also  have  compared  Christ,  as  a  teacher  of  morals,  with 
other  ethical  teachers,  such  as  the  Stoic  philosophers.  Jesus  was, 
however,  not  only  infinitely  more  than  a  teacher  of  morals,  but, 
even  as  such.  He  represented  an  entirely  different  point  of  view. 
The  aim  of  the  Stoics  was  to  hold  themselves  erect  in  hours  of 
adversity,  and  to  defy  unflinchingly  the  blows  of  fate;  but  the 
strength  thus  gained  was  not  to  be  exerted  in  behalf  of  the  weak  and 
suffering.  The  poor,  the  slaves,  the  outcasts  of  the  world  were  not 
the  objects  of  their  care.  Christ,  on  the  contrary,  announced  His  mis- 
sion to  be  pre-eminently  "to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost,"  and  "not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister";  "He  that  is  greatest  among  you 
shall  be  your  servant."  Here  indeed  is  something  unique  in  history. 
Jesus  asked  nothing  of  the  world  in  temporal  advantages;  it  could 
give  Him  nothing.  He  it  was  who  had  something  to  give;  and  what? 
His  life,— "a  ransom  for  many"!  There  is  something  superhuman  in 
this  absolute  independence  of  the  world,  and  in  the  calm  assumption 
that  the  gift  of  His  life  would  be  such  a  ransom;  and  that,  when 
lifted  up  upon  the  Cross,  He  should  draw  all  men  unto  Him. 

He  showed  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  being  able  to  fulfil  these 
words.  In  reading  them,  we  feel  that  we  are  hearing  someone  who 
is  not  of  this  planet.  We  have  indeed  already  seen  that  Christ 
used  frequently  the  expression:— "I  am  come"  to  do  this  or  to  fulfil 
that;  and  in  these  words  "I  am  come"  there  is  something  awe- 
inspiring.  For  if  He  has  come,  why  has  He  come?  Whence,  and 
for  what  purpose?  How  does  He  propose  to  save  the  lost,  for  whose 
ransom  He  will  give  His  life? 

His  method  is  at  once  simple  and  sublime.  He  founds  a  kingdom: 
—not  an  impersonal,  figurative  sovereignty,  but  one  that  is  vital  and 
intensely  personal.  At  the  head  of  this  kingdom  He  places  Himself. 
He  is  its  personal  Ideal,  its  Master,  "the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the 
Life."  His  followers  are  to  "follow"  Him.  "I  am  the  door,"  He 
said;  "by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved." 

The  test  of  Christianity,  therefore,  is  loyalty  to  Christ  personally; 
and  His  question  to  St.  Peter,  before  He  conferred  upon  him  his 
commission,  was:— "Lovest  thou  Me?"  It  is  evident,  therefore, 
that  Christ's  Kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  It  rests  not  upon 
grandeur,  but  on  humility;  not  on  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  upon 
childlike  faith;  its  power  consists  not  in  force,  but  in  weakness;  not 
in  supremacy,  but  in  service ;  not  in  severity,  but  in  affection.  Its 
King  subdues  His  subjects  by  His  love  for  them.  Earthly  potentates 
shed  the  blood  of  others  to  acquire  and  maintain  their  thrones; 
Christ  sheds  His  own! 
The  great  historical  scholar,  Professor  Harnack  of  the  University 


"WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST? 


ff 


73 


of  Berlin,  although  a  radical  free-thinker,  uses  in  regard  to  Christ 
such  phrases  as  the  following:— "A  ray  from  his  light  transforms 
a  man  inwardly."  "His  Gospel  cannot  be  replaced  by  anything." 
"It  stands  above  all  rivals  of  that  time  and  all  time."  "He  per- 
formed many  wonderful,  and  in  part  still  unexplained,  deeds."  "With 
perfect  calmness  he  lived  and  breathed  in  a  religion  which  he  himself 
had  created  in  its  essence."  "He  felt  and  thought  with  constant 
reference  to  God."  "In  liberty  and  serenity  of  soul  none  of  the 
prophets  approached  him  by  comparison."  "His  preaching  has  lost 
nothing  in  freshness  during  the  centuries."  "The  appearance  of 
Christ  is  and  remains  the  unique  foundation  of  all  moral  civilisation." 
Yet  these  are  tributes  paid  to  Christ  by  one  who  regards  Him  merely 
as  a  man/  What,  therefore,  should  be  thought  of  Him  by  those 
who  hold  Him  to  have  been  Divine? 

Other  great  intellects,  from  whom  we  hardly  should  expect  such 
testimony,  have  been  even  more  outspoken  in  their  admiration  of 
the  Founder  of  Christianity.     Reopening  the  "Memorial  of  Saint 
Helena,"  I  read  again  the  impressive  words  uttered  by  the  dying 
Napoleon  in  reference  to  the  Divinity  of  Christ:— "I  know  men, 
and  I  tell  you  that  Jesus  Christ  is  not  a  man.    Superficial  minds  see 
a  resemblance  between  Christ  and  the  founders  of  empires  and  the 
gods  of  other  religions.    That  resemblance  does  not  exist.    There 
is  between  Christianity  and  whatever  other  religion  the  distance  of 
infinity.    Between  Christ  and  whomsoever  else  in  the  world  there  is 
no  possible  term  of  comparison.  .  .  .  His  birth,  the  history  of  His 
life,  the  profundity  of  His  doctrine.  His  Gospel,  His  apparition,  His 
empire.  His  march  across  the  ages  and  realms, — everything  is  for  me 
a  prodigy,  a  mystery  insoluble.  .  .  .  Here  I  see  nothing  human.  .  .  . 
His  Revelation  is  a  Revelation  from  an  Intelligence  which  certainly 
is  not  that  of  man.  .  .  .  With  what  authority  does  He  teach  men  to 
pray!  .  .  .  You  speak  of  Caesar,  of  Alexander;  of  their  conquests, 
and  of  the  enthusiasm  they  kindled  in  the  hearts  of  their  soldiers; 
but  can  you  conceive  of  a  dead  man  making  conquests  with  ah  army 
faithful  and  entirely  devoted  to  his  memory?     My  armies  have 
forgotten  me,  even  while  living,  as  the  Carthaginian  army  forgot 
Hannibal.    Such  is  our  power.    A  single  battle  lost  crushes  us,  and 
adversity  scatters  our  friends.  .  .  .  How  different  is  the  power  of 
the  God  of  the  Christians,  and  the  perpetual  miracle  of  the  progress 
of  the  faith  and  government  of  His  Church!     Nations  pass  away, 
thrones  crumble,  but  the  Church  remains.  ...  It  is  true,  that 
Christ  proposes  to  our  faith  a  series  of  mysteries;  but  He  commands 
with  authority  that  we  should  believe  them,  giving  no  other  reason 
than  those  tremendous  words, — /  am  God!    What  an  abyss  He 
creates  by  that  declaration  between  Himself  and  all  the  fabricators 
of  religion!     What  audacity,  what  sacrilege,  what  blasphemy,  if  it 


'  1] 


74 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


were  not  true  I  .  .  .  Behold  the  approaching  fate  of  him  who  has 
been  called  the  great  Napoleon  I  What  an  abyss  between  my  pro- 
found misery  and  the  eternal  reign  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed, 
loved  and  adored,  and  is  extending  over  all  the  earth  1  Is  this  to 
die?  Is  it  not  rather  to  live?  The  death  of  Christ  1  It  is  the  death 
of  a  God!" 

Another  remarkable  tribute  is  that  of  the  rationalist  historian, 
Lecky.  In  his  "History  of  European  Morals"  (vol.  ii.,  p.  9),  we 
read:  "The  utmost  the  Stoic  ideal  could  become  was  a  model  for 
imitation,  and  the  admiration  it  inspired  could  never  deepen  into 
affection.  It  was  reserved  for  Christianity  to  present  to  the  world 
an  ideal  character,  which,  through  all  the  changes  of  eighteen  cen- 
turies, has  inspired  the  hearts  of  men  with  an  impassioned  love;  has 
shown  itself  capable  of  acting  on  all  ages,  nations,  temperaments  and 
conditions;  has  been  not  only  the  highest  pattern  of  virtue,  but  the 
strongest  incentive  to  its  practice ;  and  has  exercised  so  deep  an  influ- 
ence, that  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  the  simple  record  of  three  short 
years  of  active  life  has  done  more  to  regenerate  and  soften  mankind 
than  all  the  disquisitions  of  philosophers  and  all  the  exhortations  of 
moralists."  The  same  author,  in  his  "History  of  Rationalism"  (vol. 
2,  p.  312),  says  of  the  Founder  of  Christianity: —  ''There  is  indeed 
nothing  more  wonderful  in  the  history  of  the  human  race  than  the 
way  in  which  that  ideal  has  traversed  the  lapse  of  ages,  acquiring  a 
new  strength  and  beauty  with  each  advance  of  civilisation,  and  in- 
fusing its  beneficent  influence  into  every  sphere  of  thought  and 
action.  .  .  .  This  is  a  phenomenon  altogether  unique  in  history." 

Another  wonderful  apostrophe  to  Christ  I  found  in  the  works  of 
the  Spanish  diplomat,  Donoso  Cortez,  who  represents  the  Divine 
Master  as  thus  addressing  humanity: — ^'^It  is  I  who,  before  appearing 
before  kings,  revealed  myself  to  shepherds;  and  who,  before  calling 
to  myself  the  rich,  summoned  to  myself  the  poor.  It  is  I  who, 
when  I  was  on  earth,  restored  health  to  the  sick,  sight  to  the  blind, 
healing  to  the  lepers,  activity  to  the  paralysed,  and  life  to  the  dead. 
It  is  I  who,  standing  between  rich  and  poor,  called  to  me  with  a 
tender  voice  poor,  ignorant  and  humble  fishermen.  To  them  I 
devoted  myself  entirely ;  I  washed  their  feet ;  I  gave  to  them  my  body 
for  their  nourishment,  and  for  their  drink  my  blood.  To  that  point 
even  did  I  love  them!  The  sovereign  Lord  of  all  things,  I  stripped 
myself  of  everything  in  order  to  become  one  of  you.  It  is  to  one 
of  you  also,  and  not  to  some  prince  of  this  world,  that  I  confided  the 
government  of  my  holy  Church;  and  before  conferring  this  supreme 
power  upon  him,  I  did  not  ask  him  what  he  possessed  or  what  he 
knew,  but  ...  1/  he  loved  met  I  did  not  inquire  whether  he  was 
a  scholar  or  a  learned  teacher,  but  if  he  loved  me  more  than  the  others 
did.    A  woman  was  my  mother,  a  stable  my  lodging,  a  manger  my 


*'WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?'' 


75 


cradle.  I  passed  my  childhood  in  obedience  and  work.  I  lived  in 
the  midst  of  tribulation,  I  ate  the  bread  of  charity,  I  had  not  a  day 
of  rest.  The  wicked  overwhelmed  me  with  their  insults  and  con- 
tempt. My  prophets  even  gave  to  me  the  title  of  the  'Man  of 
Sorrows.'  I  chose  for  my  throne  a  cross,  and  I  was  laid  in  a 
stranger's  tomb.  In  giving  up  my  spirit  to  my  Father,  I  called  upon 
you  all  to  come  to  me,  and  ever  since  that  time  I  have  not  ceased  to 
call  you.    See;  both  my  arms  are  outstretched  on  the  cross  to  give  a 

welcome  to  you  all." 

Now,  of  what  other  person,  since  the  world  began,  have  such  words 
as  these  been  written  and  spoken?  For  whom  else  could  such  claims 
be  made?  Who  else  in  all  the  course  of  history  has  justified  such 
language,  save  He,  who  won  and  has  retained  for  nineteen  hundred 
years  the  love  and  adoration  of  unnumbered  millions,  not  as  a  saint 
or  teacher,  but  as  very  God?  And  this,  too,  not  from  the  simple  and 
uneducated  only,  but  from  countless  specimens  of  man's  highest 
intellectual  powers,— who  have  received  the  Christian  Revelation 
with  the  humility  of  little  children. 

In  his  admirable  little  book,  "Christ  in  the  Church,"  the  Rev. 
Robert  Hugh  Benson  (himself  a  convert  to  Catholicism,  though  his 
father  was  the  highest  prelate  of  the  Anglican  Church,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury)  mentions  the  conversion  in  England,  within 
the  space  of  five  years,  of  a  "Professor  of  Greek  in  one  University,  of 
a  Professor  of  Science  in  another,  and  of  a  Judge  on  the  bench,  famed 
for  his  keenness  in  sifting  evidence,"  all  of  whom,  after  long  thought, 
had  submitted  like  children  to  the  Church,  and  had  knelt  at  the 
same  altar-rail  "with  their  servants  and  the  poorest  Irish."    This  is 
the  more  remarkable,  since  the  opponents  of  the  Catholic  Church 
usually  maintain  that  Catholics  are,  for  the  most  part,  not  only 
financially  but  also  intellectually  poor.    In  the  time  of  Christ,  how- 
ever, it  was  also  said  that  "the  common  people  heard  Him  gladly"; 
but  converts  such  as  those  above  mentioned,  as  well  as  the  well-known 
brilliant  lights  of  French  literature,— Brunetiere,  Francois  Coppee, 
,  Paul  Bourget  and  Huysmans,  prove  that  men  of  the  highest  intelli- 
'  gence  can  and  do  accept  the  doctrines  of  Catholicism.    Those  who 
assert  that  what  the  common  mass  of  men  believe  cannot  be  true, 
should  bear  in  mind  that  any  genuine  Revelation  of  God  ought  to  be 
made  so  simple  in  its  grand  essentials,  that  "the  wayfaring  man, 
though  a  fool,  may  not  err  therein."    Its  truth  should  be  as  all- 
embracing  and  transparent  to  the  humblest  peasant  as  the  sunlit 
atmosphere,  which,— simple  though  it  seems,— is  to  the  savant  awe- 
inspiring,  as  being  the  home  of  interstellar  ether,  reaching  to  infinity. 
Those  who  deny  that  Catholics  can  be  men  of  intellect  forget 
that  almost  all  the  worid's  great  theologians,  jurists,  poets,  historians, 
painters,  sculptors,  architects,  discoverers,  sovereigns,  statesmen  and 


76  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

scientists  for  1500  years  were  Catholics;  while  very  many  of  such 
men,  in  the  last  four  centuries,  have  also  been  children  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  It  was  the  most  illustrious  of  modern  French  scientists, 
Louis  Pasteur,  who  said:— ^The  more  deeply  I  investigate  the 
mysteries  of  Nature,  the  simpler  becomes  my  faith."  Accordmgly, 
it  is  not  strange  that  he  remained  to  the  last  a  sincere  Catholic,  and 
died,  while  clasping  to  his  breast  a  crucifix,— the  symbol  of  his  faith 
that  "God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  should  have 

everlasting  life." 

But  not  only  are  the  words  which  have  been  spoken  and  written 
about  Christ  absolutely  unique;  His  own  declarations  in  regard  to 
Himself  are  without  a  parallel  in  history.    Unless  indeed  he  were 
mad,  who  that  was  merely  man  would  ever  utter  sentences  like 
these?— "I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life;  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father,  but  by  Me."    "He  that  hath  seen  Me,  hath  seen 
the  Father."    "I  and  the  Father  are  one."   "He  that  believeth  in  Me 
shall  not  perish,  but  shall  have  everlasting  life."    '7  am  the  light  of 
the  world."    "Before  Abraham  was  /  am."    "/  am  the  bread  of  life; 
he  that  cometh  to  Me  shall  never  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth  on 
Me  shall  never  thirst."    "/  am  the  living  bread,  which  came  down 
from  heaven;  if  any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever; 
and  the  bread  which  I  wiU  give  is  My  flesh,  which  I  will  give  for  the 
life  of  the  world."   "If  God  were  your  Father,  ye  would  love  Me,  for 
/  proceeded  forth  and  came  from  Godr    Jesus  said  to  a  man  whom 
He  had  healed:— "Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?       He 
answered  and  said:-"Who  is  He,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on 
Him?"    Jesus  said  unto  him:— "Thou  hast  both  seen  Him,  and  it  ts 
He  that  talketh  with  thee/'    "I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life; 
he  that  believeth  in  Me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live,  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  Me  shall  never  die."    "Come  unto 
Me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  /  will  give  you  rest. 
Take  My  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  Me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly 
of  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."    "And  now.  Father, 
glorify  thou  Me  with  Thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had 
with  Thee  before  the  world  was."    Surely  one  who  speaks  thus  must 
be  either  a  madman,  a  conscienceless  impostor,  or  Divine. 

This  is  equally  true  in  regard  to  those  words  of  Christ  which 
reveal  His  perfect  sinlessness.  The  claim  to  be  sinless,  if  made  by 
any  other  man  who  ever  lived,  would  certainly  offend  us.  Such  an 
assumption  on  the  part  of  even  the  most  saintly  person  would  appear 
a  blemish  on  his  character.  The  purest  of  mankind  have  usuaUy 
been  most  aware  of  their  defects,  and  have  acknowledged  them  with 
sorrow.  One  of  the  noblest  of  them  all— St.  Paul— confessed  him- 
s**lf  the  chief  of  sinners.    We  may  be,  therefore,  sure  that  Christ, 


"WHAT  THINK  YE  OF  CHRIST?" 


77 


I  ■ 


the  very  personification  of  humility  and  purity,  would  have  bewailed 
His  faults,  and  longed  for  greater  holiness,  had  it  been  necessary  for 
Him  to  do  so.  But  there  is  not  in  the  Gospels  a  single  word  to  indi- 
cate that  He  ever  regretted  or  repented  of  one  of  His  utterances  or 
deeds  1  His  sermons,  parables  and  prayers  betray  no  consciousness 
of  an  accusing  conscience.  He  even  puts  the  direct  question  to  His 
adversaries:— "Which  of  you  convinceth  Me  of  sin?"   (St.  John 

Such  an  attitude  is  itself  one  of  the  proofs  of  His  Divine  Sonship. 
It  has  been  well  said:— "Piety  without  one  dash  of  repentance, 
without  one  ingenuous  confession  of  wrong,  one  tear,  one  look  of 
contrition,  one  request  to  Heaven  for  pardon,— let  any  one  of  man- 
kind try  this  kind  of  piety,  and  see  how  long  it  will  be  ere  his  right- 
eousness will  prove  itself  to  be  the  most  impudent  conceit"  (Bushnell, 
"Nature  and  the  Supernatural,"  p.  286).  Nevertheless,  for  two 
thousand  years  Jesus  has  been  regarded  as  the  one  perfect  man  who 
has  ever  lived  on  earth,  and  not  a  word  or  action  of  His  life  belies 
His  character  as  such. 

It  is  impossible  to  suggest  for  Him  a  single  virtue  that  is  wanting 
in  His  flawless  record.  Yet  He,  while  living  on  the  earth,  was  sub- 
jected to  the  closest  and  most  hostile  scrutiny.  The  Scribes  and 
Pharisees  were  always  watching  to  discover  something  in  His  con- 
duct, by  which  they  could  condemn  Him.  But  all  their  efforts  were 
in  vain.  No  doubt  they  urged  the  traitor,  Judas,  to  reveal  to  them 
some  sin  or  weakness  in  his  Master,  which  could  be  used  against 
Him ;  but  Judas  could  not  do  this,  and  his  despair  at  last  lay  in  the 
realisation  that  he  had  "betrayed  innocent  blood."  The  only  accusa- 
tion which  His  enemies  could  bring  against  their  Victim,  with  any 
show  of  success,  was  that  of  blasphemy,— namely,  the  fact  that 
He  had  really  assumed  the  character  of  sinlessness,  in  having  made 

Himself  the  Son  of  God. 

Now  what  are  we  to  say  of  this  unique  and  perfect  personahty? 
Can  the  story  be  legendary?  If  so,  who  could  have  invented  such  a 
character,— so  stainless,  so  harmonious,  so  superhuman?  And  those 
marvellous  words  of  His,  which  have  transformed  the  world,  who 
was  the  author  of  them,  if  not  Jesus?  Could  ignorant  Galilean  fisher- 
men have  attained  to  such  supreme  distinction?  But  if  not  they,  who 
was  the  unknown  genius,  who  conceived  that  unexampled  life  and 
published  for  all  time  such  matchless  utterances?  Why  have  we 
not  some  record  of  the  author  of  this  deathless  narrative?  It  is 
because  there  was  no  such  author,  other  than  Jesus  Himself.  It  is 
easier  and  more  rational  to  believe  that  Jesus  lived  and  spoke,  as  He 
is  recorded  to  have  done,  than  to  believe  that  humble  fishermen,  or 
some  anonymous  writer,  created  that  portrayal  of  the  Man  of  Sor- 
rows which  has  touched,  as  nothing  else  has  ever  done,  the  feelings  of 


78 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


n 


humanity  for  two  millenniums.  Channing  has  admirably  said: — 
**When  I  can  escape  the  deadening  power  of  habit,  and  can  receive 
the  full  import  of  such  passages  as  the  following: — ^'Come  unto  Me, 
all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest^; 
*I  am  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost';  *He  that  con- 
fesseth  Me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  My  Father  in 
Heaven,'  ...  I  feel  myself  listening  to  a  being  such  as  never  before 
and  never  since  spoke  in  human  language.  I  am  awed  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  greatness,  which  these  simple  words  express;  and  when 
I  connect  this  greatness  with  the  proofs  of  Christ's  miracles,  I  am 
compelled  to  speak  with  the  centurion: — ^^ Truly  this  was  the  Son 
of  God.' " 

Pondering  all  these  things,  I  also  made  the  words  of  the  centurion 
my  own.  I  felt  it  was  more  difficult  to  believe  that  such  a  unique 
character  as  Jesus  was  an  ordinary  man,  than  to  believe  Him  to  have 
been  God  Incarnate.  Yet,  even  so,  I  feared  that  there  would  still 
remain  for  me  some  difficulties  as  to  His  Virgin  Birth,  His  miracles 
and  the  nature  of  His  Incarnation;  but  when  I  had  once  accepted 
Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God,  those  dreaded  difficulties  vanished.  I 
asked  myself: — ^If  God  desired,  as  Jesus  claimed,  to  give  to  man  a 
Revelation  of  Himself;  and  if  in  truth  He  sent  to  earth  His  only 
begotten  Son  to  teach  and  to  redeem  mankind;  is  it  not  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  advent  on  this  planet  of  the  Deity  in  human 
form  would  constitute  an  event  out  of  the  natural  order  of  things, — 
in  other  words,  that  it  would  be  miraculous?  Would  it  not  have  been 
amazing,  had  such  a  marvellous  occurrence  not  have  been  of  a  super- 
natural character?  And  how  could  the  union  of  the  Divine  and 
human  in  one  personality  have  been  better  effected  than  in  the  man- 
ner told  us  in  the  Gospel  narrative?  Let  cavillers  suggest  a  plan 
more  worthy  of  reverence  by  human  reason.  Birth  from  two  human 
parents  for  such  an  advent  would  have  been  inadmissible.  But 
once  concede  the  fact  of  the  Incarnation,  and  Christ's  supernatural 
birth  becomes  a  matter  of  course,  and  the  touching  story  of  the 
Annunciation  and  the  Blessed  Virgin's  wonderful  Magnificat  of 
praise  seem  quite  in  harmony  with  the  coming  of  Divinity.  Equally 
natural  and  probable  also,  after  the  advent  of  the  Son  of  God,  would 
be  His  miracles, — ^mostly  works  of  healing, — all  of  which  He  per- 
formed as  simply  and  naturally  as  He  breathed,  and  for  the  very 
purpose  of  arresting  the  attention  and  winning  the  adhesion  of  a 
sceptical  and  heedless  world.  Finally,  the  crowning  miracle, — ^His 
Resurrection, — ^was  the  logical  and  necessary  consummation  of  His 
mission.  Convinced,  therefore,  that  Jesus  was  in  truth  Incarnate 
God,  my  next  step  was  to  ascertain  what  He  had  done  to  ensure 
the  continuance  of  His  kingdom  upon  earth,  to  perpetuate  His 

^    teachings,  and  to  remind  mankind  continually  of  His  Revelation, 

gpjj  and  of  the  love  and  sacrifice  of  Deity. 


Chapter  IX 

TEE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 

"That  they  all  may  be  one ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  Me  and  I  in  Thee, 
that  they  also  may  be  one  in  Us,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou 
hast  sent  Me."— S*.  John  xvii.  21. 

"She  [the  Catholic  Church]  was  great  and  respected  before  the 
Saxon  had  set  foot  on  Britain,  before  the  Frank  had  crossed  the 
Rhine;  when  Grecian  eloquence  still  flourished  in  Antioch,  and  when 
idols  were  still  worshipped  in  the  temple  of  Mecca.  .  .  .  Extremes  of 
thought  and  culture  met  in  her  bosom,  and  there  blended  into  unity. 
Ancient  civilisation  and  modern  barbarism  had  hurled  their  force 
against  her,  and  each  in  turn  had  knelt  at  her  feet.  Empires  had 
passed  away,  yet  the  Catholic  Church  stood  erect  amid  the  ruins." — 
Macaulay. 

"The  enemies  of  the  Church  themselves  die  and  disappear,  but  the 
Church  itself  lives  on,  and  preaches  the  power  of  God  to  every  suc- 
ceeding generation." — St.  Augustine. 

"If  Christianity  is  historical,  Catholicism  is  Christianity."— Car- 
dinal Manning. 

IN  what  way,  then,  did  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God,  before  de- 
parting from  this  earth,  provide  for  the  continuance  and  ad- 
vancement of  His  kingdom? 
One  thing  is  certain:— He  did  not  write  a  book,  nor  did  He 
order  one  to  be  written.  Instead  of  doing  that.  He  founded  a 
Church,  against  which  He  declared  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  pre- 
vail, and  with  which  He  promised  to  be  present  while  the  world 
should  last.  This  being  so,  it  is  evident  that  every  faithful  follower 
of  Jesus  should  become  a  member  of  that  Church. 

But  which  of  all  the  Churches  that  profess  to  be  Christian  is  the 
one  which  Christ  established?  Unquestionably  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  for  this  alone  goes  back  to  the  Saviour's  lifetime.  This  was 
the  Church  which  naturally  succeeded  Judaism;  this  was  the  Church 
whose  early  history  is  chronicled  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  this 
is  still  the  only  Church  which,  since  the  days  of  Christ,  has  main- 
tained an  uninterrupted  life  of  nearly  two  millenniums.  Her  docu- 
ments, history  and  traditions  all  go  back  to  the  age  of  the  Apostles. 
From  her  all  other  forms  of  Christianity  have  been  derived.  The 
authors  of  the  Gospels,  Acts  and  Epistles  were  members  of  that 
original  Catholic  Church,  and  she  it  was  that  finally  selected,  from 
the  manuscripts  which  had  been  written  by  her  sons,  the  books  of  the 
New    Testament,    and    was    for    centuries    their    sole    custodian. 

79 


8o 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 


8i 


But  since  this  Church  existed  sixty  years  at  least  before  the 
writing  of  those  Scriptures  was  completed,  and  more  than  three 
hundred  years  before  the  Canon  of  the  New  Testament  was 
definitely  fixed,  there  must  have  been,  during  all  that  time,  some 
other  guide  and  guardian  of  the  Church  besides  the  Bible.  What 
was  this? 

Evidently  Tradition,— that  mighty  link  between  the  past  and 
present,  consisting  of  the  oral  instructions,  interpretations  and 
ecclesiastical  observances,  handed  down  in  the  Church  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  from  the  very  days  of  the  Apostles.  Thus  St. 
Paul  wrote  to  the  Church  of  Corinth:— ** Keep  the  traditions,  as  I 
delivered  them  to  you"  (i  Cor.  xi.  2).  To  Timothy  also  he  wrote:— 
*The  things  that  thou  hast  heard  of  me  among  many  witnesses, 
the  same  commit  thou  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be  able  to  teach 
others  also."  Those  "faithful  men"  undoubtedly  did  teach  others, 
and  these  taught  others  still.  Origen,  the  great  representative  of 
the  Church  at  Alexandria,  said:— "Let  the  ecclesiastical  teaching, 
handed  down  by  order  of  succession  from  the  Apostles,  be  observed. 
That  only  is  to  be  believed  to  be  the  truth,  which  in  no  way  differs 
from  ecclesiastical  and  Apostolic  tradition." 

Protestants  often  deride  the  authority  of  Church  tradition,  and 
claim  to  be  directed  by  the  Bible  only;  yet  they,  too,  have  been 
guided  by  customs  of  the  ancient  Church,  which  find  no  warrant  in 
the  Bible,  but  rest  on  Church  tradition  only!  A  striking  instance 
of  this  is  the  following:— The  first  positive  command  in  the  Deca- 
logue is  to  "RemtxTiber  the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it  holy,"  and 
this  precept  was  enforced  by  the  Jews  for  thousands  of  years.  But 
the  Sabbath  Day,  the  observance  of  which  God  commanded,  was 
our  Saturday.  Yet  who  among  either  Catholics  or  Protestants, 
except  a  sect  or  two,  like  the  "Seventh  Day  Baptists,"  ever  keep 
that  commandment  now?  None.  Why  is  this?  The  Bible,  which 
Protestants  claim  to  obey  exclusively,  gives  no  authorisation  for 
the  substitution  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  for  the  seventh.  On 
what  authority,  therefore,  have  they  done  so?  Plainly  on  the 
authority  of  that  very  Catholic  Church  which  they  abandoned,  and 
whose  traditions  they  condemn. 

Again,  Anglicans  and  Episcopalians  repeat  those  old  confessions  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  known  as  the  Nicene  and  the  Apostles'  Creeds. 
They  do  this,  however,  not  because  those  Creeds  are  found  in  the 
Bible,  for  they  are  not  there,  but  because  those  formulas  of  belief 
were  composed  and  commanded  by  the  Catholic  Church.  How 
was  the  Canon  of  Scripture  itself  settled?  Certainly  not  by  any- 
thing decisive  on  that  subject  in  the  books  themselves.  The  question, 
which  books  were  to  be  admitted  to  the  Canon,  was  decided  by  the 
Catholic  Church  (no  doubt  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost) 


in  accordance  with  the  testimonies  and  traditions  of  the  Fathers. 
?ven  when  finally  the  various  books  of  the  New  Testament  had  been 
composed,  tradition  must  still  have  been  for  centuries  the  paramount 
mEce  n  the  Church,  since  the  number  of  Biblical  manuscripts 
was  exceedingly  limited,  and  millions  of  Christians  could  not  have 
read  them,  even  had  they  been  accessible. 

Those  were  the  years  when  the  Church  was  strugghng  upward 
from  the  catacombs  to  the  conquest  of  the  world,  when  she  was 
nreaching  the  Gospel  to  the  heathen,  converting  Europe,  sacrificmg 
her  martyrs,  producing  her  Saints,  and  forming  that  magnificent 
HtuXw^oU  wo^^^  are  still  pronounced  at  every  Catholic  altar  m 
L  forld.  During  those  centuries  not  only  countless  jndividuals 
but  also  entire  nations,  learned  and  accepted  Christiamty,  not  by 
.  a  book  but  solely  by  the  teachir^g  of  the  Catholic  Church  In  fact, 
!f  then,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Bible  (interpreted  by  private 

7udgi^ent)  was  proclaimed  to  be  man's  only  and  sufficient  guide,  the 
Scriptures  instantly  became  the  source  of  strife  and  schism 

Accordingly,  having  now  resolved  to  join  some  Christian  Church 
I  had  noSu^^^  in  deciding  which  one.    In  this  respect  I  shared 
the  sentiments  of  the  Unitarian  preacher  Dr.  James  Martmeau, 
who  In  his  ^'Seats  of  Authority  in  Religion^'  (p.  169),  says  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church:-"Her  plea  is  that  she  has  been  there  ./I 
through  •  that  there  has  been  no  suspension  of  her  hfe,  no  break  m 
Sr  history,  no  term  of  silence  in  her  teaching;  and  that,  having 
Sen  2way  in  possession,  she  is  the  vehicle  of  every  claim,  and  must 
be  ^resum'ed,  until  conclusive  evidence  of  forfeiture  -  Pfucf ,  ^^^ 
be  the  right  ul  holder  of  what  has  rested  in  her  custody.    If  you 
would  trace  a  Divine  legacy  from  the  age  of  the  C^sars,  would  you 
•        Tt  out  to  meet  it  on  the  Protestant  tracks,  which  s^n  lose  them- 
Teles  in  the  forests  o.'  Germany  and  on  the  Alps  of  Switze«  or 
on  Se  great  Roman  road  of  history,  which  runs  through  all  the 
ltuL%  sets  you  down  in  Greece  or  Asia  Minor  at  the  very 
Hoors  of  the  churches  to  which  the  Apostles  wrote? 

m  ru  Z  Protestant  sects,  from  which  a  selection  could  be  made^ 
I  saw  none  which  I  wished  to  enter.    A  space  of  x  500  y^^^ 
between  even  the  oldest  of  them  and  the  ongm  of  Christianity  and 
eSlr?enc7had  already  taught  me  to  expect  in  them  no  -cles.-t.al 
unity   no  real  authority,  and  no  doctrinal  agreement.    Moreover, 
eJ^S^'siSce  my  youthful  days  their  number  had  decidedly  increased 
One  daT  inTalking  on  this  subject  with  a  friend,  he  mentioned  that 
Sffathir  was  a  CM.Man.    I  thought  at  first  ^^^^^^^^^ 
pronounced  the  word,  but  he  assured  me  that  there  was  a  sect 
Lued  "CAmMans,"  to  distinguish  them  from  ordmary  Chns^ans. 
What  their  particular  doctrinal  divergence  was  I  have  /o'rgottei^; 
but  I  rememL  that,  although  my  friend's  father  was  a  «CAr«Man. 


82 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


hK  mother  was  a  Campbelhte  Baptist,  his  wife  a  Universalist,  and 
he  himself  a  Umtarian!  This  led  me  to  investigate  the  number  of 
divisions  into  which  Protestantism  had  thus  far  resolved  itself.  The 
following  hst,  though  doubtless  incomplete,  and  referring  almost 
entirely  to  England  and  America,  gives  ^ome  idea  o^£Z 
integration.  ^ 


"Advent  Christians." 

"Adventists." 

African  Methodist  Episcopal. 

African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion. 

African  Union  Protestant  (Non- 
Episcopal). 

"Age-to-Come  Adventists." 

American  Episcopal  Church. 

"Amish  Mennonites." 

"Anabaptists." 

''Apostolic  Mennonites." 

"Arminian  Baptists." 

Associate  Kirk. 

Associate  Presbyterian  Synod  of 
North  America. 

Associate    Reform    Presbyterian 
Churches. 

Associate  Reform  Synod  of  the 

South. 
Bible  Christians. 
British  Methodist  Episcopal. 
"British  Wesleyans." 
"Calvinistic  Baptists." 
"Cameronians." 
"Campbellite  Baptists." 
"Christadelphians"     (who     have 

ar-f  "^^"".^^  Churches  in  London). 
Christian  Disciples." 

"Christian  Eliasites." 

"Christian  Israelites." 

"Christ-ians." 

"Christian  Scientists." 

"Christian  Unionists." 

"Church  of  God." 

,"^"rch  of  God  Adventists." 

^^Church  of  Living  God." 

"Church  of  Progress." 

Church  of  Scotland  in  England. 
Coarse"  Mennonites. 

Coloured  Methodist  Episcopal. 
Congregationalists." 

Congregation    Methodist    (Non- 
Episcopal). 


^t^ 


n^ 


^t^ 


"Countess  of  Huntingdon's  Con- 
nexion." 

"Covenanters." 

Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 
(coloured). 

Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church 

(white). 
Disciples  in  Christ." 
Dowieites." 

Dunkard  Brethren"  (several  va- 
rieties). 

Eastern  Reformed  Presbyterians. 
"Evangelical  Adventists." 
Evangelical  Association. 
"Evangelicals." 
"Evangelical  Unionists." 
Evangelist  Missionary. 
"Family  of  Love." 
Free  Church  of  England. 
Free  Kirk  of  Scotland. 
Free  Methodist  (Non-Episcooal) 
"Free-Will  Baptists." 
"General"  Baptists. 
"General     Baptists,    New    Con- 
nexion." 

"General  Conference  Mennonites." 
Hicksite  Quakers." 

"Hyper-Calvinists." 

Independent    Methodists     (Non- 
Episcopal). 

"Irvingites." 

"Jezreelites." 

"Life  and  Advent  Union." 

Lutherans  (many  varieties). 

Mennonites  (plain). 

Methodist  Church,  Canada  (Non- 
Episcopal). 

Methodist  Episcopal. 

Methodist  Episcopal,  South. 

Methodist  Protestant  (Non-Epis- 
copal). 

Methodists. 

"Millerites." 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 


83 


Moravians.  r.  •  .  »»\ 

Mormons  ("Latter  Day  Saints  ). 
New  Connexion  Methodists. 
"Old  Amish  Mennonites." 
Old  Church  of  Scotland. 
"Old  Mennonites." 
Original     Seceders     or       Auld 

Lichts." 
Orthodox  Quakers.  ^^ 
"Other  Mennonites." 
"Paedo-Baptists." 
"Particular"  Baptists.^^ 
"Pentecostal  Dancers." 
"Pillars  of  Fire." 
"Plymouth  Brethren."  ^^ 
"Presbyterian  Baptists." 
Presbyterians. 
"Primitive  Baptists." 
"Primitive  Friends  Quakers. 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
"Refined"  Mennonites. 
Reformed  Episcopal  Church. 
"Reformed  Mennonites." 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in 

North  America. 
Reformed     Presbyterian     Cove- 
nanted Church. 
Reformed  Presbyterians. 
Reformed  Zwinglians  (four  va- 
rieties). 
Reform  Kirk. 
Reform  Union  Methodists. 
"Regular  Mennonites." 
Relief  Kirk. 
"River  Brethren." 
"Salvation  Army." 

"Schwenckfeldians." 

Secession  Church  of  Ireland. 

Secession  Kirk. 

"Separate  Baptists." 

"Seventh  Day  Adventists." 

"Seventh  Day  Baptists." 

Shakers. 

"Six  Principle  Baptists." 

Socinians. 

Spiritualists. 

Swedenborgians. 

"Temperance  Methodists." 

"The  Agapemone." 

"The  Apostolics." 

"The  Baptised  Believers." 

"The  Benevolent  Methodists." 

"The  Bible  Defence  Association. 


"The    Brethren"     (who    baptise 

each  other). 
"The  Bryanites." 
The  Church  of  England  (Broad, 

High  and  Low). 
"The  Eclectics." 
"The  Followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus 

Christ." 
"The  Free  Christians." 
"The    Free    Evangelical    Chris- 
tians." 
"The  Free  Gospel  and  Christian 

Brethren." 
"The  Free  Gospellers." 
"The  Free  Grace  Gospel  Chris- 
tians." 
The  Glassites. 
"The  Glory  Band." 
"The  Hallelujah  Band." 
The  "Holy  Ghost  and  Us"  So- 
ciety. 
"The  Holy  Jumpers." 
"The  Hope  Mission." 
"The  Humanitarians." 
"The  Inghamites." 
"Theistic  Church." 
"The  Kilhamites." 
"The  Muggletonians." 
"The  New  Wesleyans.' 
"The  Old  Baptists." 
"The  Open  Baptists." 
"The  Peculiar  People.' 
"The  Primitive  Congregation." 
"The  Primitive  Methodists." 
"The  Progressionists." 
"The  Protestant  Trinitarians." 
"The  Ranters." 
"The  Rational  Christians." 
"The  Recreative  Religionists." 
"The  Salem  Society." 
"The  Secularists." 
"The  Separatists." 
"The  Spiritual  Church." 
"The  Strict  Baptists." 
"The  Union  Baptists." 
"The  United  Christian  Church.' 
"Unitarian  Baptists." 
Unitarians.  , 

United  American  Methodist  Epis- 
copal. 
"United  Baptists." 
"United  Brethren." 
United  Brethren  in  Christ 
United  Free  Gospel  Methodists. 


»» 


tt 


r.-  .i  u^ 


84 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


United  Free  Methodists. 

United  Presbyterian  Church  of 
North  America. 

United  Presbyterians. 

Universalists. 

Wesleyan  Methodist  (Non-Epis- 
copal). 


Welsh  Calvinistic    (Non-Episco- 
pal). 
"Wilburite  Quakers." 
Zion  Union  Apostolic. 
Zwinglians. 
Etc. 


To  define  the  distinctive  features  of  all  these  various  sects,  even 
if  it  were  desirable,  would  be  impossible  within  the  limits  of  this 
volume;  but  from  that  fact  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  such  societies 
are  mere  shadows  without  substance.  The  history  and  peculiarities 
of  each  could  be  narrated  and  described,  if  necessary. 

Thus  the  Protestant  body  known  as  the  "Muggletonians"  is  not, 
as  might  be  supposed,  a  Pickwickian  invention,  but  a  religious  sect 
founded  as  long  ago  as  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  by  a 
London  tailor  named  Muggleton.  He  declared  that  he  and  another 
tailor  named  John  Reeve  were  the  "two  witnesses"  mentioned  in 
the  eleventh  chapter  of  St.  John's  Revelation.  He  also  taught  that 
God  left  Elijah  as  vicegerent  in  Heaven  when  He  descended  to 
earth  to  die  for  mankind.  He  wrote  a  book,  called  "The  Divine 
Looking-Glass,"  and  this  was  republished  by  members  of  his  sect 
as  late  as  1846. 

The  "Glassites"  also  have  played  rather  an  important  part  in  the 
religious  life  of  England.  The  founder  of  this  sect  was  a  Scotchman 
by  the  name  of  John  Glas,  who,  about  two  hundred  years  ago, 
formed  a  society,  subsequently  known  as  "Glassites"  or  "Sande- 
manians"  (from  Robert  Sandeman,  the  son-in-law  of  Glas),  as  a 
kind  of  protest  against  the  established  Church  of  England.  The 
present  membership  of  the  sect  numbers  about  2,000,  and  among 
their  peculiarities  are  a  love-feast  eaten  every  Sunday,  the  "kiss  of 
brotherhood,"  the  washing  of  feet,  abstention  from  "blood"  and 
"things  strangled,"  and  a  simple  kind  of  communism.  To  pray 
with  anyone  who  is  not  a  Glassite  is  regarded  by  this  sect  as  unlaw- 
ful. It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  this  peculiar  society  is 
composed  of  uneducated  people,  for  one  of  its  members  was  the 
distinguished  scientist,  Michael  Faraday. 

The  sect  of  the  "'Jezreelites"  still  exists  in  London.  It  was 
founded  by  a  certain  James  White,  who,  in  the  last  century,  pub- 
lished a  book  called  "The  Flying  Roll,"  under  the  name  of  James 
Jezreel.    It  is  a  message  to  the  ten  lost  tribes  of  Israel. 

The  sect  of  the  "Irvingites"  was  founded  by  the  celebrated  Edward 
Irving,  the  friend  of  Carlyle.  They  have  a  very  handsome  church 
in  (Gordon  Square,  London,  and  numerous  chapels  scattered  through 
the  city.  This  sect,  which  once  had  twelve  apostles,  appointed  by 
Irving,  calls  itself  the  "Catholic  Apostolic  Church,"  and  has  an 
elaborate  ritual.    Each  member  is  supposed  to  give  one-tenth  of  his 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 


85 


income  to  the  Church.     But  enough:   the  state  of  Protestantism, 
revealed  by  such  a  list  of  heterogeneous  and  continually  multiplymg 

sects,  is  indeed  appalling. 

Granting  that  in  many  instances  the  differences  between  them 
relate  for  the  most  part  to  their  various  forms  of  ecclesiastical  gov- 
ernment, some  of  them  nevertheless  are  mutually  hostile  and  irrec- 
oncilable.    But,  whether  their  points  of  disagreement  are  important 
or  not  in  the  eyes  of  the  disputants,  they  prove  beyond  a  doubt 
the  lack  of  unity  in  Protestantism,    Every  sect  naturally  owes  its 
existence  to  the  fact  that  it  considers  itself  the  correct  type  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  therefore  must  regard  the  others  as  less 
perfect    We  are  sometimes  told  that  this  does  not  matter,  since  they 
all  agree  in  the  "essentials"  of  Christianity;  but  who  is  to  decide 
what  is  essential?     Each  sect  believes  that  at  least  one  thmg  is 
essential,— namely,  that  which  it  alone  has,  and  which  the  others 
have  not.    Otherwise  it  would  not  have  left  the  other  sects,  and 

begun  a  separate  existence.  .    ^        .    ..  * 

If  it  be  true,  however,  that  the  divisions  m  Protestantism  are  not 
essential,  then  the  scandal  of  this  state  of  things  is  all  the  greater; 
for  if  God  has  given  us  a  Revelation,  He  must  have  meant  it  to  be 
received  in  its  entirety.    It  is  inconceivable  that  His  message  is  of 
such  small  value,  that  we  poor,  finite  creatures  may  select  from  it 
what  pleases  us,  and  reject  the  rest.    One  thing  is  certam:-the  idea 
of  one  divinely  founded  Church,  possessing  supernatural  guidance, 
unity  of  doctrine  and  authority  of  discipline,  is  wholly  lost  among 
Protestant  denominations,  and  the  term  "Unity '^  as  applied  to 
Protestantism,  has  no  significance.   There  is  at  work  in  Protestantism 
a  process  of  disintegration,  which  apparently  nothing  can  check; 
for  all  these  humanly  created  sects  originate  from  the  notion  that 
dissatisfied  members  of  a  Church  have  a  perfect  right  to  leave  it  and 
found  another,  which  they  call  "reformed."    By  consulting  the  list 
of  sects,  it  will  indeed  be  seen  that  there  are  "Reformed '  Pr^by- 
terians,  Methodists,  Lutherans,  Episcopalians,  and  the  like,  all  of 
which  churches  are,  of  course,  "reformations"  of  other    reforma- 
tions" of  the  original  Luther's  "Reformation"! 

Nor  is  there  any  reason  why  this  process  should  not,  like  an 
endless  chain,  go  on  indefinitely,  for  that  would  be  the  natural  resuU 
of  the  Reformation.  It  is  the  logical  consequence  of  Luther  s  theory 
of  the  individual's  right  to  interpret  Scripture  as  he  likes  and  to 
"protest"  against  every  interpretation  which  he  does  not  like.  JNo 
Protestant,  therefore,  can  consistently  refuse  to  others  the  nght  to 
"protest,"  since  this  it  is  which  forms  the  very  ratson  detre  of  his 

own  Church.  .    , . 

Now,  in  the  midst  of  this  chaotic  state  of  things   we  recognise 
the  incontrovertible  fact,  that  Christ  Himself  founded  one  Church, 


86 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


and  only  one,  and  laid  upon  it  certain  commands  and  Sacraments. 
This  being  so,  how  have  His  followers  dared  to  leave  that  Church, 
and  on  their  own  responsibility  set  up  another,  or  many  others,  decid- 
ing which  of  the  original  Sacraments  they  will  retain  and  which  they 
will  discard,  and  which  of  Christ's  commands  they  will  obey?  That 
they  have  done  so  is  only  too  evident;  but,  having  thus  begun  to 
pick  and  choose  among  Sacraments  and  customs,  old  as  the  Church 
itself,  and  having  invoked  the  "right  of  private  judgment"  in  mat- 
ters of  doctrine,  where  is  the  process  to  end?  All  of  those  sects 
agree  in  saying  that  the  Bible  is  the  one  and  only  infallible  source 
of  truth,  and  all  of  them  find  in  it  some  self-interpreted  texts,  on 
which  to  found  their  special  idiosyncrasy! 

But  surely  a  Church,  which  was  established  by  the  Son  of  God, 
and  which  is  still  controlled  and  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  ought 
to  deliver  the  same  message,  with  authority,  everywhere.  Does  any 
Protestant  sect  do  that?  Certainly  not.  Year  after  year  the 
Protestant  schismatic  spirit  continues  its  erosive  work.  It  is  like  a 
river,  which,  having  broken  loose  from  its  appointed  course,  cuts  for 
itself  a  multitude  of  new  and  devious  channels.  Nor  is  this  all;  for, 
in  proportion  as  these  channels  multiply,  so  do  Indifferentism'  and 
Agnosticism  also  grow,  until  the  world  is  threatened  either  with 
religious  anarchy  or  absolute  irreligion.  The  well-known  free- 
thinker and  philosopher.  Dr.  von  Hartmann,  in  comparing  the  Catho- 
lic Church  with  Protestantism,  says:— "If  it  is  a  Church  that  is  to 
bring  me  to  salvation,  .  .  .  then  I  will  look  about  me  for  a  firmly 
established,  powerful  Church,  and  I  prefer  to  cling  to  the  Rock 
of  Peter,  rather  than  to  any  one  of  the  numberless  Protestant 
sectarian  Churches." 

Deeply  significant  are  the  words  of  Cardinal  Manning  on  the 
religious  condition  of  England  after  more  than  three  hundred  years 
of  Protestantism:— "Never  before  were  the  masses  of  our  people  so 
without  God  in  the  world,  never  was  spiritual  famine  so  widespread 
and  blank.  Millions  in  our  towns  and  cities  have  no  consciousness 
of  the  supernatural.  The  life  of  this  world  is  their  all.  Never 
before  were  the  schisms  and  heresies,  which  have  been  generated 
by  the  first  great  heresy  and  schism,  so  manifold  and  dominant.  The 
Church  of  the  Anglican  Reformation  has  given  up  well-nigh  one- 
half  of  the  people  to  endless  separations,  which  have  exhausted  its 
vitality."  The  contrast  between  CathoUcism  and  Protestantism  is 
that  between  the  solidity  of  a  mighty  mountain  and  the  instability  of 
shifting  sand.  It  is  the  difference  between  the  weak  and  the  strong, 
the  separate  and  the  coherent,  the  passing  and  the  permanent. 

None  of  the  many  sects  of  Protestantism  is  either  large  enough,  old 
enough,  or  strong  enough  to  be  likened  seriously  to  the  universal, 
ancient  Apostolic  Church  of  Rome,  and  even  a  collection  of  such 


THE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 


37 


sects  forms  only  an  incoherent  group  of  mutually  repellent  particles. 
On  the  one  hand,  therefore,  stands  discordant  Protestantism,-— 
wanting  in  discipline,  lacking  doctrinal  unity,  repudiating  most  of 
the  original  Sacraments  of  Mother  Church,  and  tending  fatally  to 
dissolve  either  into  continually  augmenting  sub-divisions  or  into  ever- 
increasing  Rationalism.  On  the  other  hand  stands  united  Catholicism, 
—immovable  amid  the  ebb  and  flow  of  human  innovations,  impreg- 
nable to  the  attacks  of  heresies,  indifferent  to  the  rise  and  fall  of 
empires,  surviving  spoliation,  superior  to  schism,  steadfast  in  per- 
secution, and  calmly  watching  the  disintegration  of  its  enemies! 
Thus  does  the  changeless  Church  of  Rome  endure,  arid  thus  she 
WILL  endure,  till  Christ  who  founded  it  shall  come  again. 

Wonderful  Body  of  the  Living  Christ!  In  faith,  in  sacraments, 
in  doctrine,  in  ceremonial,  in  language,  in  discipline,  in  its  identical 
catechism,  and  in  its  one  obedience  to  a  single  Head;— in  chapel, 
in  cathedral,  in  hamlet,  in  metropolis,  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa, 
America  and  on  the  islands  of  all  seas,— everywhere  and  at  all  times 
IT  IS  THE  same!  Surely  if  the  testimony  of  1900  years  does  not 
effectively  prove  the  Church  of  Rome  to  be  the  Institution  founded 
by  our  Saviour  on  the  Rock  of  Peter,  then  has  the  world  no  Church 
of  Christ  at  all.  How  true  are  Cardinal  Newman's  eloquent  words:— 
"0  long-sought-after,  tardily  found  desire  of  the  heart,— the  truth 
after  many  shadows,  the  fulness  after  many  foretastes,  the  home  after 
many  storms!  Come  to  her,  poor  wanderers,  for  she  it  is,  and  she 
alone,  who  can  unfold  the  secret  of  your  being  and  the  meaning  of 
your  destiny!" 


Chapter  X 

LUTHER 

"Men  should  be  changed  by  Religion,  not  Religion  by  men."— 
Bishop  of  Viterbo. 

"The  Church  of  Christ  may  be  compared  to  His  seamless  robe 
Luther  and  his  followers  tore  a  large  piece  from  it." 

"All  the  waters  of  the  Elbe  would  not  yield  me  tears  sufficient  to 
weep  for  the  miseries  caused  by  the  Reformation."— Melancthon: 
Epistles,  book  iv.,  ep.  loo. 

I  NOW  saw  that,  if  I  were  to  enter  any  Christian  Church  at  all, 
it  could  not  be  one  of  the  numerous  discordant  sects  of  Protest- 
antism, the  oldest  of  which  came  into  existence  only  four  hun- 
dred years  ago,  but  rather  a  Church,  possessing  universality  of 
extent,  unity  of  doctrine,  historic  continuity  from  the  beginning, 
and  authority  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals.  Such— and  such  only 
— is  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  which  represents  the  teachings 
and  traditions  of  nearly  two  millenniums. 

Still  I  felt  bound  to  examine  the  question  more  minutely. 
Why  had  the  Protestants  left  this  Mother  Church?  Who  was  at 
fault? 

The  reason  given  by  Luther  and  his  followers  for  their  apostasy 
was  the  necessity  of  "Church  Reformation,"  especially  because  of 
certain  abuses  connected  with  the  giving  of  Indulgences.  But 
Reformation  does  not  necessarily  mean  Secession.  All  Catholics 
admit  that  some  abuses  then  existed  in  the  Church,  but  they  believe 
that  an  ecclesiastical  house-cleaning  could  have  been  effected  with- 
out a  definite  rupture,  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  convulsed  all  Chris- 
tendom, caused  rivers  of  blood  to  flow,  and  made  a  chasm  in  Christ's 
Church,  which  time  may  never  close. 

Did  the  mere  fact  that  grave  abuses  had  crept  into  the  ancient 
Church  create  so  hopeless  a  situation  as  to  justify  disruption?  Did 
not  Christ  prophesy  such  a  state  of  things  in  His  parables  of  the  tares 
and  the  wheat,  and  of  the  net  filled  with  good  and  bad  fishes?  Was 
not  one  of  His  twelve  disciples  the  traitor  Judas?  Did  not  another 
deny  Him,  and  did  not  all  of  them  desert  Him? 

All  true  Christians,— Protestants  as  well  as  Catholics,— believe 
that  the  original  Church  was  an  institution  founded  by  the  Son  of 
God,  and  that  its  Founder  promised  to  endow  it  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  to  defend  it  with  complete  success  against  the  gates  of 
hell.  Now  that  original  Church  can  have  been  none  other  than  the 
Catholic;  and  if,  in  1517,  this  had  become  so  irretrievably  corrupt 
that  it  was  necessary  to  replace  it  with  another,  it  is  evident  that 


LUTHER 


89 


the  gates  of  heU  had  prevailed  against  it,  and  that  Christ's  solemn 
promise  to  preserve  His  Church  had  not  been  kept.  But  if  such  a 
hopeless  state  of  things  did  not  exist,  then  violent  withdrawal  from 
it  was  equivalent  to  rending  it  sacrilegiously,  castmg  discredit  on 
Christ's  word,  and  claiming  that  the  Protestant  seceders  were  more 
competent  to  guide  and  teach  the  Church  than  was  the  Hojy  Spirit 
If  the  faults  in  the  Church  at  that  time  were  those  of  mdividual 
conduct,  rather  than  of  doctrine  (as  was  undoubtedly  the  case), 
then  it  was  certainly  the  duty  of  the  would-be  reformers  to  remam  m 
the  Church  and  reform  its  wayward  members. 

But  this  they  did  not  do.  Their  fault  consisted  in  passing  from 
an  attack  on  the  abuses  of  the  Church  to  an  assault  upon  its  Fatth. 
If  in  previous  centuries,  whenever  internal  reforms  had  been  re- 
quired, the  earlier  Christians  had  thus  acted,  the  Church  would  soon 
have  crumbled  into  ruin.  Because  some  individual  members  of  a 
crew  are  behaving  badly,  it  is  not  necessary  to  scuttle  the  ship. 

In  this  respect  an  imperfect  comparison  might  be  made  between 
the  Catholic  Church  in  the  sixteenth  century  and  the  United  States 
in  1861.  Some  reformation  in  regard  to  State  rights  and  slavery 
was  no  doubt  needful  then  in  the  great  republic;  but  it  is  now  gen- 
erally admitted  that  such  reforms  could  have  been  carried  out 
without  a  war.  As  the  secession  of  the  South  in  1861  was  treason  to 
the  Union,  so  in  151 7  the  secession  of  Luther  and  his  associates 
was  treason  to  the  Mother  Church. 

In  studying  this  question,  I  found  that  I  had  hitherto  read  only 
the  Protestant  side  of  it,  and  had  not  fully  appreciated  the  prominent 
part  which  politics  played  in  the  origin  of  the  Reformation  or,  as  it 
might  be  better  called,  the  Revolution;  for  the  "squabble  among 
monks,"  as  Pope  Leo  X.  at  first  called  the  outbreak,  was  quickly 
seized  upon  by  avaricious  German  princes,  as  a  pretext  to  plunder  the    ' 
monasteries  and  churches  of  their  subjects,  and  gradually  entire 
nations  made  the  movement  an  excuse  to  ravage  one  another  s  terri- 
tories in  the  hope  of  spoils.    The  following  words  from  the  Protestant 
writer  Lord  Macaulay  are  significant: -"The  new  theology  spread 
with  a  rapidity  never  known  before.     All  ranks,  all  varieties  of 
characters  joined  the  innovators.     Sovereigns  impatient  to  appro- 
priate to  themselves  the  prerogatives  of  the  Pope,  nobles  desirous 
to  share  the  plunder  of  the  abbeys,  good  men  scandalised  by  the  cor- 
ruptions in  the  Church,  bad  men  desirous  of  the  Hcense  inseparable 
from  great  moral  revolutions,  wise  men  eager  in  pursmt  of  truth, 
weak  men  lured  by  the  glitter  of  novelty,-all  were  found  on  one 

side  " 

That  the  revolt  against  Catholicism  and  the  Papacy  began  with 
Martin  Luther  has  given  to  his  personality  an  exaggerated  im- 
portance He  indeed  started  the  conflagration,  but  many  others 
spread  the  flames.   It  is,  in  fact,  very  doubtful  whether,  at  the  outset. 


ll^^-         ->!-•■•-• 


90 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Luther  ever  intended  to  go  as  far  as  his  own  violent  passions  and 
the  patronage  of  princes  ultimately  led  him.  It  is  probable  that  the 
monk,  who  until  the  age  of  thirty-five  had  been  a  Catholic,  initiated 
the  Reformation  much  as  a  reckless  individual  fires  a  train  which, 
later  on,  to  his  dismay  ignites  a  powder  magazine. 

When  Luther  nailed  his  theses  to  the  church  of  Wittenberg,  he 
attacked  merely  the  abuses  connected  with  Indulgences,  not  the 
doctrine  of  Indulgence  itself.  Indeed,  at  that  time,  he  pronounced 
anathema  on  all  who  spoke  against  their  efficacy.  Moreover,  before 
the  heat  of  controversy  had  carried  him  beyond  the  possibility  of 
a  return,  he  wrote  to  Pope  Leo  X.: — ^**Most  Holy  Father,  I  cast  my- 
self at  thy  feet  with  all  I  have  and  am.  Give  life,  or  take  it;  call, 
recall,  approve,  reprove;  your  voice  is  that  of  Christ,  who  presides 
and  speaks  in  you."  But  when  he  had  committed  himself  irre- 
trievably to  the  revolutionary  movement,  and  found  himself  the 
mouthpiece  of  a  powerful  political  party,  with  several  princely 
supporters  behind  it,  he  could  find  no  words  vile  enough  to  use  in  his 
denunciation  of  the  Holy  Father  whom  he  had  once  revered,  and  of 
the  Church  whose  altars  he  had  reverently  served. 

So  prominent,  however,  was  the  part  which  this  man  played  in 
the  Reformation,  that  it  is  well  to  pay  special  attention  to  his  charac- 
ter and  writings;  endeavouring,  however,  to  see  him,  not  as  the 
*'Luther  legend"  represents  him,  but  as  he  really  was.  Naturally, 
since  I  had  never  made  an  impartial  examination  of  the  subject,  I 
had  considered  Luther  only  as  the  national  hero  of  the  German 
Protestants,  the  author  of  the  hymn,  "Eine  feste  Burg  ist  unser 
Gott,"  and  the  "brave  monk"  who  conscientiously  defied  the  Pope 
at  Worms.    But  I  discovered  presently  the  reverse  of  the  medal. 

In  the  first  place,  commencing  with  externals,  the  face  of  Luther 
seemed  to  me  nothing  less  than  repulsive.  Sensuality  and  brutality 
are  stamped  upon  it  more  than  on  almost  any  countenance  I  ever 
looked  upon  in  life  or  portraiture.  If  it  may  be  compared  to  any 
creature  of  the  animal  kingdom,  that  animal  would  be  a  bull.  There 
certainly  is  nothing  in  his  expression  indicative  of  spirituality.  Let 
anyone  contemplate  it,  and  ask  himself  if  any  man,  with  such  a 
head,  mouth,  neck  and  jowl,  can  be  considered  as  a  deeply  religious, 
spiritual  leader  and  shepherd  of  souls,  or  as  the  founder  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  "pure  Gospel."  It  is  rather  the  face  of  a  sensual, 
self-willed  fanatic;  and  such  I  soon  perceived  was  really  Luther's 
character. 

Eating  and  drinking  formed  two  very  prominent  features  of  his 
daily  life.  His  biographical  record,  especially  his  letters  to  his 
"Katie,"  abound  in  proofs  of  this.    One  or  two  will  be  sufficient. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1534,  for  example,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  that 
he  had  had  nothing  good  to  drink,  and  adds:— "Thou  wouldst  do  well 
to  send  me  the  whole  cellar  full  of  my  wine,  and  a  flagon  of  thy  beer 


LUTHER 


91 


as  often  as  thou  canst."  During  his  last  weeks  at  Eisleben  he  wrote 
to  his  wife  again  (February  6,  1546) :— "We  have  plenty  on  which  to 
eat  and  swill."  (See  also  Grisar,  vol.  ii.,  p.  305)  Among  his 
utterances  in  the  "Table  Talk"  are  also  the  following:— "If  the 
Lord  God  holds  me  excused  for  having  plagued  Him  for  quite  twenty 
years  by  celebrating  Mass,  He  will  assuredly  excuse  me  for  some- 
times indulging  in  a  drink  to  His  honour.  God  grant  it,  and  let  the 
world  take  it  as  it  will." 

We  all  know  that  the  Catholic  practice  of  occasional  fasting  is 
strongly  recommended  in  the  Bible,  even  by  Christ  himself.  Thus 
Paul  exhorts  the  Corinthian  Christians  (i  Cor.  vii.  5)  to  give  them- 
selves to  fasting  and  prayer;  and  Jesus  in  His  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
bade  His  disciples,  when  they  fasted,  not  to  do  so  ostentatiously,  but 
to  their  Father,  who  seeth  in  secret.  We  are  told  also  that  Christ 
Himself  fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights  in  the  wilderness;  and, 
in  praising  those  who  had  great  faith,  He  said: — "This  kind  can 
come  forth  by  nothing  but  by  prayer  and  fasting"  (Mark  ix.  28). 
Luther,  however,  thus  condemned  a  custom  evidently  very  distaste- 
ful to  him: — ^"This  doctrine  is  so  wicked  and  shameful  before  God, 
that  no  carousing  or  gluttony,  no  intemperance  or  drunkenness  could 
be  so  bad,  and  it  would  be  better  to  be  completely  fuddled  day  and 
night,  than  thus  to  fast"  ("Luther's  Works,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  730). 

We  shall  find,  later,  other  striking  proofs  of  the  importance  given 
by  Luther  to  man's  animal  propensities  and  of  his  alleged  inability 
to  control  them. 

One  of  the  most  significant  acts  of  Luther's  life  was  his  marriage, 
under  peculiar  circumstances,  with  an  ex-nun,  who,  like  himself, 
thus  violated  a  solemn  vow  to  God.  The  circumstances  were  as  fol- 
lows. On  the  night  before  Easter,  April  5,  1523,  a  certain  Leonhard 
Koppe  and  two  associates,  according  to  a  previous  arrangement, 
abducted  twelve  nuns  from  the  Cistercian  cloister  of  Nimptsch  in 
Silesia,  and  with  the  connivance  of  Luther  brought  them  to  Wit- 
tenberg. Soon  after  their  arrival,  Luther  wrote  a  letter  in  which  he 
called  Koppe  a  "blessed  robber,"  and  compared  him  impiously  to 
the  resurrected  Saviour!  "As  Christ,"  he  writes,  "at  Easter  had 
redeemed  the  world  by  His  resurrection,  so  Koppe  by  his  bold  deed 
on  Easter  night  had  redeemed  these  nuns"!  ("Luther's  Works,"  vol. 
ii.,  p.  40) . 

Among  these  voluntary  fugitives  was  Katharine  Bora,  whom 
Luther  subsequently  married,  after  the  lapse  of  two  years,  at  the  age 
of  forty-two,  Katharine  being  sixteen  years  his  junior.  The  marriage 
was  celebrated  by  another  apostate  priest,  by  the  name  of  Bugen- 
hagen,  who  had  recently  taken  a  similar  marital  step. 

There  had  evidently  been  much  talk  about  Luther's  attentions  to 
this  nun  of  former  days,  for  the  pastor  Bugenhagen  subsequently 


92 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


wrote: — "Evil  tales  were  the  cause  of  Dr.  Martin's  becoming  a  mar- 
ried man  so  unexpectedly"  (Grisar,  vol.  ii.,  p.  175).  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  reformer's  friends  were  greatly  shocked  by  this  pro- 
cedure on  his  part,  and  felt  that  he  had  done  himself  much  harm. 

The  eminent  scholar  Erasmus  wrote  of  this  matrimonial  venture: 
— "It  has  been  thought  that  Luther  was  the  hero  of  a  tragedy;  but 
I  regard  him  as  playing  the  chief  part  in  a  comedy,  that  has  ended, 
like  all  comedies,  in  a  marriage."  In  another  place  he  remarks,  in 
reference  to  the  number  of  monkish  imitators  of  Luther  in  this  re- 
spect:— ^*'The  Reformation  seems  to  have  had  no  other  purpose  than 
to  turn  monks  and  nuns  into  bridegrooms  and  brides."  Melancthon 
was  much  severer  in  his  judgment  of  the  affair.  In  a  confidential 
letter  to  Camerarius,  written  June  16,  1525,  he  puts  the  chief  blame 
for  the  marriage  on  the  escaped  nun. 

"Luther,"  he  says,  "is  light-headed  and  frivolous  to  the  last  de- 
gree; the  nuns  pursued  him  with  great  cunning,  and  drew  him  on. 
Perhaps  all  this  intercourse  with  them  has  rendered  him  effeminate, 
or  has  inflamed  his  passions,  noble  and  high-minded  though  he  is." 
(See  Grisar's  "Luther,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  145.)  He  adds  that  he  believes 
that  Luther  has  fallen  into  an  "inopportune  change  of  life,"  and 
hopes  that  marriage  will  make  him  more  moral.  When  we  remember 
that  Melancthon  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Luther,  as  well  as  his 
greatest  theological  supporter,  we  cannot  question  the  truth  of  his 
observations  and  conclusions. 

But  the  effect  of  his  immoralities  and  of  his  marriage  with  a  nun 
was  trifling  compared  with  the  widespread  evil  wrought  among  the 
masses  by  his  intemperate  preaching  and  writing  on  such  subjects. 
It  was  not  enough  that  he  himself  had  sinned;  he  was  lashed  on  by 
an  accusing  conscience  to  defend  his  conduct,  and  to  induce  as  many 
others  as  possible  to  do  as  he  had  done.  If  "misery  loves  company," 
so  does  sin.  Indulging  in  the  coarsest  language,  he  denounced 
celibacy,  ridiculed  the  vows  of  chastity,  and  urged  both  monks  and 
nuns  to  follow  his  example,  break  their  vows,  and  leave  the  cloisters! 
("Luther's  Works,"  edition  Walch,  vol.  xii.,  pp.  1797,  etc.).  The 
result  of  this  was  naturally  deplorable.  Eberlin  of  GUnzberg,  among 
others,  writes: — "Scarcely  has  a  monk  or  nun  been  three  days  out 
of  the  convent,  than  they  make  haste  to  marry  some  woman  or 
knave  from  the  streets"  (Grisar,  "Luther,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  124).  Mul- 
titudes of  hitherto  virtuous  monks  and  nuns  considered  themselves, 
on  the  authority  of  Luther,  released  from  any  obligation  to  fulfil 
their  vows,  and  an  appalling  amount  of  harm  was  done  both  to  their 
individual  souls  and  to  the  public. 

Even  in  Pagan  Rome  respect  for  the  Vestals  was  maintained,  as 
one  of  the  bulwarks  of  society,  after  belief  in  the  gods  had  largely 
disappeared.    But  Luther's  teachings  threw  such  safeguards  to  the 


LUTHER 


93 


winds,  and  emphasised  man's  animal  nature  as  dominant  and  deci- 
sive. Chastity,  he  declared,  was  unnatural;  celibacy  was  a  sin;  Sac- 
raments were  profitless;  the  Mass  was  idolatrous;  there  was  no 
longer  any  need  of  examining  one's  conscience  or  of  going  to  con- 
fession; and  the  Pope  was  Antichrist!  Faith  alone  was  essential  to 
salvation ;  good  works  were  superfluous.  How  startling  is  the  con- 
trast which  Luther's  life  and  teachings  offer  to  the  life  and  admoni- 
tions of  St.  Paul!  The  great  Apostle  wrote:— "I  see  another  law  in 
my  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind  and  bringing  me 
into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin,  which  is  in  my  members.  0  wretched 
man  that  I  am!  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death? 
I  thank  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord."  And  again:— "They 
that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the  flesh  with  the  affections  and 
lusts."  "If  ye  live  after  the  flesh,  ye  shall  die;  but  if  ye  through 
the  Spirit  do  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live." 

What  added  to  the  evil  influence  which  Luther  exerted  was  his 
denial  of  free  wUl  in  man.  "The  human  will,"  he  said,  "is  like  a 
beast  of  burden.  If  God  mounts  it,  it  wishes  and  goes  as  God  wills ; 
if  Satan  mounts  it,  it  wishes  and  goes  as  Satan  wills.  Nor  can  tt 
choose  the  rider  it  would  prefer,  or  betake  itself  to  him;  but  it  is 
the  riders  who  contend  for  its  possession"!  ("De  Servo  Arbitrio"). 
This  was,  however,  tantamount  to  saying,  that  whatever  a  man  did, 
whether  good  or  bad,  was  the  work  of  either  God  or  Satan,  not  of 
the  man  himself.  Melancthon  also  wrote  that  "like  the  calling  of 
Paul  so  also  the  adultery  of  David  and  the  betrayal  of  Christ  by 
Judas,  was  the  work  of  God."    (See  Alzog's  "Church  History,"  ninth 

edition,  vol.  ii.,  p.  i54-) 

Luther's  exact  words  in  reference  to  man's  inability  to  resist  temp- 
tation are  not  fit  to  be  quoted,  but  it  is  suflicient  to  say  that  he 
asserted  that  one  could  as  easily  remove  mountains,  create  new  stars, 
or  bite  one's  own  nose  off  as  to  keep  the  sixth  (in  the  Protestant 
reckoning  the  seventh)  commandment!  In  his  letter  to  Wolfgang 
Reissenbusch,  a  fellow-monk,  whom  he  was  urging  to  renounce  his 
vows  and  marry,  Luther  wrote  (March  27,  1525)  that  his  rehgious 
vow  was  worthless,  because  "chastity  is  as  litUe  within  our  power 
as  the  working  of  miracles"  ("Luther's  Works,"  Weimar  edition, 

vol.  xviii.,  pp.  270-279).  ^    ,  r  •*!. 

It  was  Lutiier's  idea,  however,  that  so  long  as  one  had  faith,  con- 
duct was  not  of  great  importance.  Thus  he  wrote  to  Melancthon  :— 
"Be  a  sinner,  and  sin  boldly,  but  believe  more  boldly  still.  Sm  shaU 
not  drag  us  away  from  Him,  even  should  we  commit  fornication  or 
murder  thousands  and  thousands  of  times  a  day"  (Letter  of  August 
I,  1521).  So  annoying  to  him  were  the  Ten  Commandments,  that 
he  wrote  of  them:— "We  must  put  the  whole  decalogue  entirely  out 
of  our  sight  and  out  of  our  hearts.    If  Moses  scares  you  with  his 


94 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


m 


stupid  Ten  Commandments,  say  to  him  at  once: — ^^Take  yourself 
off  to  your  Jews!    To  the  gallows  with  Moses  1'  " 

Of  course,  to  the  multitude  such  revolutionary  ideas  as  these  were 
equivalent  to  the  abolition  of  all  moral  and  religious  restraints,  and 
the  alluring  doctrine  of  irresponsibility  for  sin  was  the  natural  con- 
sequence. Benedict  Morgenstern,  the  Pastor  of  Graudenz,  com- 
plained that  if  the  Bohemians  wished  to  live  according  to  their  own 
lusts,  they  did  not  hesitate  to  say: — ^'To-day  we  will  live  in  the 
Lutheran  fashion!" 

Nor  was  this  all.  Luther  directly  incited  people  to  deeds  of 
violence  against  Catholic  prelates.  Thus  ("Wider  das  Papsthum  zu 
Rom,"  1545,  130)  he  wrote:— "The  Pope  and  the  cardinals  .  .  . 
ought  to  be  taken;  and,  since  they  are  blasphemers,  their  tongues 
ought  to  be  torn  out  through  the  back  of  their  necks,  and  nailed  to 
the  gallows!" 

He  also  recklessly  advocated  the  confiscation  of  Church  property 
by  the  authorities.  To  the  Elector  Frederick  and  to  Duke  Johann 
of  Saxony  he  wrote  (July,  1524) :— *When  they  [the  Catholics]  are 
gone,  and  the  churches  and  convents  lie  desolate  and  forsaken,  then 
the  rulers  of  the  land  may  do  with  them  what  they  please." 

Such  utterances  produced,  of  course,  among  the  populace  deplor- 
able results.  Soon  nothing  pertaining  to  the  ancient  Catholic  Faith 
was  any  longer  respected  by  millions  of  ignorant  peasants,  and  they 
at  last  rose  to  act  on  Luther's  suggestions. 

In  1522  a  rabble  forced  its  way  into  the  church  at  Wittenberg, 
on  the  doors  of  which  Luther  had  nailed  his  theses,  destroyed  all  its 
altars  and  statues,  and  having  thrown  their  fragments  into  the  street, 
drove  out  the  clergy  after  them.  In  Rotenburg  also,  in  1525,  the 
figure  of  Christ  was  decapitated  and  its  arms  were  knocked  off.  On 
the  9th  of  February,  1529,  everything  previously  revered  in  the  fine 
old  cathedral  of  Bale,  Switzerland,  was  destroyed.  An  old  chronicler 
thus  described  the  scene: — "They  fastened  a  long  rope  to  a  large 
crucifix,  and  many  boys  of  eight,  ten  and  twelve  years  dragged  it 
to  the  market-place,  and  sang: — ^*0h,  you  poor  old  Jesus  ...  if  you 
are  God,  defend  yourself;  but  if  you  are  man,  so  die!' "  The  Re- 
former (Ecolampadius  rejoiced  at  this  sacrilege,  and  wrote  to  Capito: 
— ^"That  was  a  sight  for  the  superstitious!  They  would  have  liked 
to  weep  tears  of  blood"  (Janssen,  iii.  96). 

Such  instances  of  brutality  and  fanaticism  could  be  cited  by 
scores.  No  longer  restrained  by  faith  and  reverence  for  all  that 
they  had  held  sacred,  the  peasants  burned  down  numerous  convents, 
plundered  churches,  smashed  stained-glass  windows,  hacked  to  pieces 
sacred  crucifixes,  and  mutilated  altars.  Growing  more  daring,  they 
stormed  and  sacked  the  castles  of  the  nobles,  and  murdered  many 
of  their  inmates  in  a  barbarous  manner.    The  bells,  which  had  for 


LUTHER 


95 


centuries  summoned  them  to  prayer,  now  called  them  to  the  work 

of  rapine. 

It  is  impossible  to  dissociate  these  horrors  from  the  teachmgs  of 
Luther.    Erasmus  told  him  so  plainly,  as  the  hideous  Peasants'  War 
progressed.    "We  are,"  he  said,  "reaping  the  fruits  that  you  have 
sown."    In  fact,  the  peasants  justified  their  conduct  by  texts  of 
Scripture,  which  Luther  had  told  them  was  their  only  and  sufficient 
guide.    "If  we  are  mistaken,"  they  said,  "let  Luther  correct  us 
from  the  Bible."    Whether  they  would  have  let  themselves  be  con- 
vinced by  him  is  doubtful,  if  his  opinion  had  run  counter  to  theirs, 
for  they  were  now  infected  with  his  doctrine  of  "private  judgment." 
Relying  on  this,  they  chose  such  texts  as  suited  them,  and  found 
some,  to  their  great  delight,  which  gave  them,  as  they  thought, 
authority  to  rob  the  rich,  and  to  "hold  all  things  in  common."    So 
popular  was  this  idea,  that  one  of  the  sects,  thus  formed,  drove  out 
from  the  city  of  Munster  all  its  wealthy  citizens,  and  established 
Communism  there.    The  churches  were  despoiled  of  their  pictures, 
images  and  sacred  vessels.     Simultaneously  the  most  brutal  and 
licentious  passions  also  burst  forth,  and  proved  for  a  time  ungov- 
ernable.   In  the  name  of  "Christian  liberty"  each  man  claimed  a 
right  to  marry  several  wives,  and  their  belief  in  "Communism"  led, 
in  this  respect,  to  frequent  difficulties. 

Their  chief,  John  of  Leyden,  married  three  wives  at  once! 
Twenty-eight  apostles  were  sent  forth  to  preach  this  forerunner  of 
Mormonism  to  a  willing  world!  Why  not?  Luther  had  said:  "I 
confess,  I  cannot  forbid  it,  when  someone  wants  to  take  several 
wives.  It  does  not  contradict  the  Scriptures.  Only  among  Chris- 
tians I  would  not  like  to  see  such  an  example  introduced,  because 
one,  for  the  sake  of  avoiding  scandal,  should  avoid  even  what  is 
allowable"/    These  ideas  did  not  long  remain  theoretical. 

Protestants  generally  do  not  know,  for  naturally  it  has  not  been 
told  them,  that  in  order  to  retain  for  the  "Reformation"  the  influ- 
ence of  Philip,  Landgrave  of  Hesse,— a  man  of  notoriously  loose 
morals,  but  of  much  political  power, —Luther  gave  him  permission 
to  commit  bigamy  by  marrying,  while  his  first  wife,  undivorced,  was 
still  living,  the  sixteen-year-old  Marghereta  of  Sale.  This  marriage 
Luther  authorised  with  the  excuse  that  "their  poor  Church  had  need 
of  pious  lords  and  regents,"  and  stated  that  it  was  done  "in  order 
to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  his  [Philip's]  soul  and  body,  and  to 
bring  greater  glory  to  God."  This  precious  document  was  signed, 
not  only  by  Luther  himself,  but  also  by  Melancthon  and  several 
other  Protestant  theologians.  Melancthon,  it  is  true,  at  first  felt 
scruples  in  regard  to  the  proceeding,  but  subsequently  overcame 
them  with  the  ignoble  excuse:— "Philip  threatened  to  apostatise 
unless  we  helped  him"I    (Ellinger,  "Melancthon,"  p.  377.)     The 


'.n\ 

le 


n 


n 


e^ 


>. 


•  I' 


iii 


III 


^itt 


96 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


bigamous  union,  thus  approved,  took  place  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1540,  at  Rotenburg,  and  several  Reformers,  including  Melancthon, 
were  present  at  the  ceremony,  which  was  performed  by  Melander, 
the  Court  preacher,  who  himself  had  three  wives  living! 

How  different  from  this  disgraceful  concession  to  a  petty  Land- 
grave was  the  noble  conduct  of  Bishop  John  Fisher  and  the  great 
English  statesman.  Sir  Thomas  More,  in  regard  to  the  divorce  de- 
manded by  their  powerful  sovereign,  Henry  VHI.!  Both  these 
Catholic  heroes  suffered  death  for  their  resistance  to  Henry's  policy 
of  the  divorce  and  all  that  it  entailed. 

Luther  himself  became  at  last  alarmed  at  the  results  of  his  "Re- 
forms," but  showed  no  pity  for  his  poor,  misguided  dupes,  who  had 
provoked  the  Peasants'  War.  On  the  contrary,  he  turned  upon  them 
mercilessly,  and  urged  the  nobles  to  kill  these  "children  of  the  devil," 
and  to  hunt  them  down  like  mad  dogs  ("toUe  Hunde").  His  ad- 
vice was  followed,  and  the  revolt  of  the  people  was  put  down  with 
atrocious  cruelties.  The  loss  of  life  among  these  poor  fanatics,  who, 
led  astray  by  Luther's  doctrines,  wished  to  carry  out  their  own 
ideas  of  what  the  Bible  taught,  is  variously  estimated  at  from  fifty 
thousand  souls  to  double  that  number.  In  one  of  the  letters  of 
Erasmus  (Epis.  803),  it  is  said  that  100,000  perished.  Professor 
Maurenbrecher,  in  his  "History  of  the  Catholic  Reformation"  (vol. 
i->  P«  257),  says  that  Luther  and  his  associates  had,  previous  to 
the  popular  rebellion,  used  such  passionate,  revolutionary  language 
against  all  authority,  that  the  result  could  easily  have  been  foreseen. 
Luther,  however,  expressed  no  regrets,  but  actually  said: — ^"I,  Mar- 
tin Luther,  slew  all  the  peasants  in  the  rebellion,  for  I  said  that 
they  should  be  slain;  all  their  blood  is  upon  my  head.  But  I  cast 
it  on  the  Lord  God,  who  commanded  me  to  speak  in  this  way"! 
(Werke,  Erl.  edition,  lix.,  p.  284,  "Table  Talk";  see  also  Grisar, 
voL  iii.,  p.  213). 

Erasmus  also  wrote  to  him: — ^*'We  are  now  reaping  the  fruit  of 
your  spirit.  You  do  not  acknowledge  the  rebels,  but  they  acknowh 
edge  you"t  ("Hyperaspistes,"  0pp.,  i.,  p.  1032). 

What  wonder  that  Luther  was  often  subject  to  attacks  of  profound 
melancholy?  (See  "Luther's  Works,"  ed.  Walch,  vol.  xiv.,  p.  iqm)- 
On  one  such  occasion  he  wrote: — "Since  our  doctrines  have  been 
preached,  the  world  has  grown  steadily  worse,  alwajrs  more  godlesJ 
and  shameless,  and  men  more  avaricious  and  unchaste  than  under 
the  Papacy.  Everywhere  are  only  greed,  immoderate  desires,  lewd- 
ness, shameful  disorder  and  hideous  passions"  (DoUinger,  "Refor- 
mation," vol.  i.,  p.  289,  etc.).  Wittenberg,  once  the  cradle  of  the 
Reformation,  he  said  had  become  "a  Sodom!"  ("Luther's  Letters," 
vol.  iv.,  p.  753.) 

This  opinion  was  shared  by  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the 


LUTHER 


97 


time.  Melancthon  declared: -"The  morals  of  ^^e  people  ^^^^^^^^ 
worse.  Luxury,  licentiousness  and  boldness  are  steadi  ^  increasmg 
rEpbtola.,"  ?^  4,  100,  2x9).  Erasmus  also  7ote--^^What  can  be 
iiore  ruinous  than  to  let  such  words  as  the  foUowmg  come  to  the 
Cple^  ears?-^The  Pope  is  Antichrist;  Bishops  and  priests  are 
S  gmS;  man-made  laws  are  heretical;  confession  is  pernicious; 
works!  merits  and  endeavours  are  heretical  words;  there  is  no  fee 
will-  Everything  happens  by  necessity.'  .  .  .  I  see,  under  the  pre- 
Sof  th^  Gospel,  a  new,  bold,  shameless  and  ungovernable  race 
lrowSiVup,-in  a  word,  such  a  one  as  will  be  unendurable  to 
Luther'hlSUlf"  ("Epistda.,"  book  xix.,  p.  601,  and  book  xvm., 

^' Again  he  writes  (Works,  vol.  ix.,  p.  1026)  :-"Sound  human  rea- 
soXches  me  that  a  man  cannot  honestly  ^-ther  ^.^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
God,  who  excites  so  great  an  uproar  in  the  ^°f '.^;V^^^^^^ 
in  abuse  and  sarcasm,  and  cannot  have  enough  of  ^h^"^;  ^uc^^^^^^ 
amount  of  arrogance,  as  we  have  never  seen  surpassed,  cannot  P^^" 
Jbly  be  without  some  folly,  and  such  a  boisterous  individual  is  not 
at  all  in  harmony  with  the  apostolic  spirit.  ^    .  ,.  , 

Thei  words  of  Erasmus  remind  us  that  still  other  characteristic 
of  iuTer  remain  to  be  considered.    No  impartial  student^ven  1 
he  gains  his  information  largely  from  Protestant  sources,-can  fail 
to  recognise  that  Luther's  nature  was  essentially  despotic.    He  m- 
sLed  tfat  his  will  in  theological  and  ecclesiastical  matters  must  be 
.Ltle     Everyone  who  differed  from  him  in  regard  to  dogmas  he 
prfnouLd  a  heretic,  if  not  worse,  and  this  in  words  which  fre- 
Sy  were  far  too  low  and  vulgar  to  be  reproduced.    Among  the 
Sest  of  his  utterances  is:-"Whoever  teaches  0  f-.^^^^^^^ 
teach  condemns  God,  and  must  remam  a  child  of  hell    (  bamtiicne 
Werk^''^^^^^  After  such  words  he  hardly  needed  to  say 

!?ic:an^Iar  and  e^^^^^  nothing  which  is  against  my  teaching 

^TonelmTt  i^  ui/hTappealed  to  the  universities  of  Europe 
to  p^oiru;;^^^^^  ^  but  when  t^eir  an^^^^^^^^^ 
demnation  of  his  dogmas,  Luther  became  wild  ^^^,^f '^^r  ^ 
account  he  denounced  the  University  of  Par^s  ^s  ^^^^  ^^^!:l,^^^ 
prrnrs  the  daughter  of  Antichrist,  and  the  gate  of  hell  !  ine  rignt 
oJ  rSvS  SmL"  was  evidently  intended  by  Luther  to  belong 

*•  *;««  TMnthinff  IS  less  true.  He  talked  of  it,  as  a  reabuu 
raESng'JSSdonrof  the  Church,  but  ^^^^ 
to  bring  about  complete  subjection  to  an  unassailable  Bible,  .  .  . 

"hc  StSlliil  a  Pope  of  printed  paper,  instead  of  a  Pope  of 


[0] 

at(| 
leni 

\an\ 
'he 

S2, 

er. 

g; 

of 
in 

g; 

7n 


ii 


98 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Iff 


flesh  and  blood.  Moreover,  since  he  constituted  himself  the  authori- 
tative interpreter  of  the  Bible,  he  practically  claimed  for  himself  in- 
fallibility.  One  of  Luther's  contemporaries,  Sebastian  Frank,  wrote 
despondently: — ^**Even  under  the  Papacy  one  had  more  freedom 
than  now." 

This  despotic  attitude  was,  however,  not  confined  to  Luther.  It 
lay  in  the  system  itself.  Calvin  also  claimed  for  himself  infalli- 
bility, and  wrote  to  Aubeterre  ("Lettres  frangaises,"  vol.  1.,  p.  389): 
— ^**Dieu  m'a  fait  la  grace  de  me  declarer  ce  qui  est  bon  et  mauvais." 
Hence  he  demanded  the  death  penalty  by  fire  or  sword  for  heretics, 
— that  is,  for  those  who  differed  from  him;  and,  as  all  the  world 
knows,  he  had  his  theological  opponent,  Servetus,  after  long  impris- 
onment, burned  to  death  over  a  slow  fire. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  conflicts  over  "heresy"  broke 
out  between  the  Reformers  themselves,  for  the  fatal  tendency  of 
Protestantism  to  disintegrate  began  at  once  to  show  itself.  Some- 
times the  result  of  this  was  almost  ludicrous;  for  the  rulers  of  even 
the  smallest  German  principalities  claimed  the  same  right  that  pow- 
erful potentates  had,  and  forced  upon  their  subjects  the  particular 
brand  of  Protestantism  which  they  had  chosen  to  adopt!  Accord- 
ingly, the  Protestants  of  certain  duchies  were  obliged  to  change  re- 
peatedly their  faith  from  one  Confession  to  another,  to  suit  the  dif- 
ferent "private  judgments"  of  successive  sovereigns! 

In  1556  the  Pfalsgraf,  Otto  Heinrich,  declared  the  doctrine  of 
Luther  to  be  the  exclusive  religion  of  the  land.  But  his  successor, 
Frederick  III.,  only  three  years  later,  established  Calvinism  as  the 
State  religion.  His  son,  Ludwig,  however,  in  1576  brought  Luther- 
anism  in  again,  and  banished  from  the  country  all  Calvinist  min- 
isters, teachers  and  officials.  In  1583  the  pendulum  swung  back 
once  more,  and  Ludwig's  brother  Johann  re-established  Calvinism. 
Thus  the  unhappy  people,  in  the  space  of  less  than  forty  years,  were 
compelled  to  change  their  religious  faith  four  times,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  original  change  from  Catholicism  to  Protestantism! 

Some  men,  as  they  grow  older,  become  gentler  and  more  tolerant. 
This  was  not  the  case  with  Luther.  Vituperative  to  the  last,  he  died 
as  he  had  lived.  Shortly  before  his  death,  he  wrote  two  horribly  abu- 
sive pamphlets,  one  against  the  Jews,  the  other  "Against  the  Papacy, 
founded  by  the  devil  at  Rome."  The  title-page  of  the  latter  exhib- 
ited a  disgusting  picture,  which  proved  again  the  essential  coarseness 
of  the  author's  nature,  and  the  contents  of  the  book  are  what  one 
might  expect  from  such  a  frontispiece.  It  seems  to  exhaust  the  en- 
tire vocabulary  of  German  vituperation.  Dollinger  calls  it  "a  docu- 
ment, whose  origin  can  scarcely  be  explained  otherwise  than  by  sup- 
posing that  Luther  wrote  the  most  of  it  when  under  the  influence  of 
intoxicating  drmk"  (Dollinger,  "Luther,"  p.  48).    In  his  pamphlet 


LUTHER 


99 


against  the  Jews,  among  the  epithets  which  Luther  gives  to  Jiose  par^ 
ticular  obiects  of  his  hatred  are  "Young  devils  damned  to  hell,    and 
he  id^u^^^^  a  1  Christians  in  Germany  to  burn  down  Jemsh  schools 
5«r5«        and  to  throw  pitch  and  sulphur  into  the  flames;  to 
destZS  houses;  to  confiscate  their  ready  money  tn  gold  and 
Znto  take  from  them  their  sacred  Books,  even  the  whole  Bble 
To  bid  their  holding  any  religious  services  under  f  ^f  ^^'^Z  f^^^^^ 
Vd,if  that  did  not  help  matters,  to  hunt  them  of  'f^^funtry^^^^ 
mad  do^s"!  ("Luther's  Works,"  vol.  xx.,  pp.  2230-2632).    These 
Two  fanftical  productions  were  Luther's  latest  works;  and  thus  it  can 
rtXsaid  Siat  he  died  with  the  wish  in  his  ^^eart  to  P^^^^^^^^^ 
Jews  most  cruelly,  and  with  a  curse  on  his  lips  against  the  Papacy. 
•'  Such  being  Luther's  character,  I  was  not  much  surprised  to  find 
him  a  most  felentless  and  cruel  hunter  of  "witches."    Lecky,  in  hi 
"History  of  Rationalism"  (vol.  i.,  p.  32),  remarks  of  l^^"^;- ^he 
creduliS  which  Luther  manifested  on  all  matters  connected  with 
TaboS  intervention  was  amazing,  even  ^^r  Ms  age;^^^^^^^^ 
speaking  of  witchcraft  his  language  was  emphatic  and  unhesitating. 
TioZ  have  no  compassion  on  these  witches,'  he  exclaimed;    I 

"  The  dS  Xf^^^^^  -^e  in  the  life  of  Luther  and  no  writer 
ever  mote  of  him  half  so  frequently.  In  one  small  pamphlet  he 
me™s  him  146  times.  Everyone  knows  the  story  of  his  throwing 
Sstkstand  at  the  devil  in  the  Wartburg,  but  that  was  only  one  of 
ThoiLds  of  instances  when  he  believed  that  Satan  fppe^^^^^^^^^ 
him  He  says  repeatedly  that  the  devil  argued  with  him,  ate  with 
him  slept  with  hhn,  and  visited  him  in  the  form  of  a  dog  a  sow, 
^^n£XrI  other  blasts.  Such  ideas  may  be  perhaps  attributed  to 
Td^Srdered  brain;  but  the  language  which  he  uses  in  describing 
some  of  these  experiences  is  unpardonably  vulgar. 

I  do  not  wish  to  lay  an  undue  emphasis  on   his  side  of  his  char 
acter,  but  it  cannot  be  with  fairness  left  unmentioned  m  any  study  of 
?he  man,  for  "out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  ^uth^^^^^^^ 

Nothing  is  more  unpleasant  in  the  unexpur gated  Tab  e  lalk 
anKis"  of  Luther  than  the  filthy  and  abusive  e^-i^^^^^^^^^ 
contain  Of  his  merely  vituperative  language  we  find  a  specimen 
La  dVte  over  the  significance  of  the  ^ord^  ^up^^^^^^^^^  wMch 
Luther  declared  that  Zwingli  was  a  genmne  heathen,  and  had  a 
isDhemo^^^^^^  through-bedevilled,  and  over-bedeviUed 

h'el:?SS  with  a  lying  3aw"l--eine^n.^^^^^^^^ 
und  Uberteufeltes,  Idsterliches  Herz  und  Lugenmaul     He  proclaimed 
Slso^S  n^^^  should  pray  for  Zwingli,  and  that  he  wouW 

be  damned  to  the  brink  of  hell,  if  he  had  any  fellowship  with  hmi 
and  his  followers!     (See  Dollinger,  "Luther,    p.  31O 
It  seems  incredible  that  these  "Reformers"  could  fling  such  low 


101 

dat( 
7hei 
than] 
the 
462, 

ner. 

irg; 
;  of 

in 

rg; 

:o7n 
orc^ 

be- 

m;, 

fiai 


t 


I 


\t'i 

pi 


lOO 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


epithets  at  one  another  in  reference  to  their  views  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  no  less  extraordinary  does  it  seem  that  Luther, 
whose  privilege  it  had  once  been  to  celebrate  the  Sacrifice  of  the 
Mass,  could  write  of  it: — ^**No  sin  of  immorality,  nay,  not  even  man- 
slaughter, theft,  murder  and  adultery  is  so  harmful  as  this  abomina- 
tion of  the  Popish  Mass"!  ("Luther's  Works,"  Erl.  edition,  vol.  Ix., 
p.  io6.) 

Luther  also  spoke  of  ecclesiastics  in  an  incredibly  vulgar  way,  and 
sanctioned  vile  caricatures  of  them,  which  the  illiterate  mob  could 
readily  understand.  A  specimen  of  his  language  regarding  religious 
orders  is  the  following: — ^"Barefooted  friars  are  lice,  placed  by  the 
devil  on  God  Almighty's  fur  coat,  and  friar  preachers  are  the  fleas 
on  His  shirt  1"  He  also  adjured  the  authorities  to  take  steps  against 
the  "blind  priests,  who  run  to  the  altar,  like  hogs  to  a  trough"! 

What  wonder,  therefore,  that  Erasmus  wrote  to  this  blasphemer: — 
"Scarcely  one  of  your  books  have  I  been  able  to  read  to  the  end, 
so  great  and  insatiable  is  the  tendency  to  libel  which  they  display. 
.  .  .  Your  books  swarms  with  abuse  on  every  page"  (Grisar's 
"Luther,"  p.  154). 

The  Swiss  Reformer,  BuUinger,  the  successor  of  Zwingli  at 
Zurich,  complains  of  Luther's  "beastly  and  obscene  facility  of 
speech,"  and  adds: — "It  is  perfectly  evident  and  unfortunately  un- 
deniable that,  in  the  treatment  of  the  Faith  and  of  great  and  seri- 
ous matters,  no  one  has  written  more  wildly,  coarsely  and  inde- 
cently, and  in  greater  opposition  to  all  Christian  propriety  and 
modesty  than  Luther." 

An  excuse  is  sometimes  found  for  him  by  such  few  Protestants 
as  are  acquainted  with  his  works  by  saying  that  the  age  itself  per- 
mitted such  indecencies.  But  this  is  no  excuse  for  Luther ;  for,  while 
professing  to  reform  that  age,  he  actually  surpassed  in  filthy  lan- 
guage most,  if  not  all,  of  his  contemporaries.  (For  a  few  of  his  most 
objectionable  expressions,  see  Grisar,  vol.  ii.,  p.  229,  and  the  authori- 
ties he  quotes.) 

How,  then,  can  Protestants  designate  Luther  as  "more  than  a  Saint, 
and  the  greatest  of  Germans,  the  strongest,  deepest,  richest  spirit  of 
the  Christian  Church"?  (Hans  Preuss,  "Unser  Luther,"  1917).  It 
is  to  be  explained  onlj'  by  the  fact  that  in  the  hundreds  of  Protes- 
tant books,  pamphlets  and  articles,  published,  in  191 7,  in  honour  of 
the  four-hundredth  anniversary  of  Luther's  inauguration  of  the  Ref- 
ormation, the  average  reader  learns  only  of  the  legendary  Luther, 
whose  carefully  expurgated  words  and  writings  are  alone  quoted. 

As  an  offset  to  all  this,  however,  the  Protestant  world  has  always 
claimed  that  Luther,  by  his  translation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  into 
his  native  tongue,  first  gave  the  Bible  to  the  German  people. 

But  even  this  assertion  is  not  based  on  fact.    All  who  care  td 


LUTHER 


lOI 


I 


C> 


i^ ' 


investigate  the  matter  can  satisfy  themselves  that  between  the  date 
of  the  invention  of  printing,  about  i45o»  and  the  year  1522,  when 
Luther  published  his  version  of  the  New  Testament,  no  less  than 
fourteen  complete  editions  of  the  Bible  had  already  appeared  in  the 
German  language:—!,,  that  of  Faust  and  Schoffer,  about  1462, 
Mainz;  IL,  that  of  Johann  Mentelin,  about  1466,  Strassburg;  III., 
that  of  Pflanzmann,  147 5,  Augsburg;  IV.,  that  of  Andreas  Frisner, 
1470-1473,  Nurnberg;  V.,  that  of  Gunther  Zainer,  1470,  Augsburg; 
VI.,  that  of  Giinther  Zainer  (?),  i477,  Augsburg;  VII.,  that  of 
Anton  Sorg,  1477,  Augsburg;  VIII.,  the  same,  1480,  Augsburg;  IX., 
that  of  Anton  Koburger,  1483,  Nurnberg;  X.,  that  published  in 
Strassburg,  1485;  XL,  that  of  Hans  Schonsperger,  1487,  Augsburg; 
XIL,  the  same,  1490,  Augsburg;  XIIL,  that  of  Hans  Otmar,  1507, 
Augsburg;  XIV.,  that  of  Silvan  Otmar,  1518,  Augsburg.    Four  more 
editions  of  the  Bible  had  also  during  this  time,— that  is  to  say,  be- 
fore the  publication  of  Luther's  version,— appeared  in  Low  German; 
so  that  in  reality  eighteen  editions  of  a  German  Bible  preceded  that 
of  Luther/     Moreover,  in  addition  to  these  complete  translations, 
many  separate  portions  of  the  Scriptures,  such  as  the  Psalms  and 
selections  from  the  Gospels,  had  been  printed  and  freely  circulated. 
(See  Panzer's  report  of  these  editions  to  be  found  in  the  public 
library  of  Nurnberg,  and  Kehrein's  "Zur  Geschichte  der  deutschen 
Bibeliibersetzungen  vor  Luther,"  pp.  34-49  and  53-56) 

This  certainly  does  not  justify  the  legend,  dear  to  Protestants, 
that  before  Luther's  time  there  was  no  German  translation  of  the 
Bible,  and  that  he  dragged  the  Scriptures  out  from  centuries  of 
obscurity.  All  these  editions  of  the  Bible  in  German  were  printed 
to  be  sold,  and  were  sold  at  a  profit;  and,  if  sold,  they  were  doubt- 
less read.  Moreover,  in  addition  to  these,  during  the  fifty  yea.rs 
which  elapsed  between  the  invention  of  printing  and  the  year  1500, 
there  were  printed  about  one  hundred  editions  of  the  Bible  in  Latin, 
—on  an  average  two  a  year!  This  meant,  of  course,  at  that  time 
much  more  than  it  would  now,  since  then  all  educated  men  read  and 

wrote  Latin. 

As  a  proof  of  the  arbitrary  spirit  which  Luther  showed  m  makmg 
his  translation  of  the  Bible,  we  have  the  fact  that  he  confessed  to 
have  added,  for  dogmatic  reasons,  the  word  "alone"  to  the  text 
of  St.  Paul  (Rom.  iii.  28) :— "Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is 
justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law."  Luther  rendered 
the  passage  "by  faith  alone";  and  when  reproached  for  this,  he 
^rote  — "You  tell  me  what  a  great  fuss  the  Papists  are  making  be- 
cause the  word  'alone'  is  not  in  the  text  of  Paul.  If  your  Papist 
makes  such  an  unnecessary  row  about  the  word  *alone,'  say  right 
out  to  him:— *Dr.  Martin  Luther  will  have  it  so/  and  say:— Tapists 
and  asses  are  one  and  the  same  thing.'   /  wiU  have  it  so,  and  I  order. 

The  Lock  wood  F^fmorial  Library 


LiJ 


<\\ 


1021 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITB 


it  to  be  so,  and  my  will  is  reason  enough.  I  know  very  well  that 
the  word  'alone*  is  not  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  text,  and  it  was  not 
necessary  for  the  Papists  to  teach  me  that.  It  is  true,  those  letters 
are  not  in  it,  which  letters  the  jackasses  look  at,  as  a  cow  stares  at 
a  new  gate.  ...  It  [*alone']  shall  remain  in  my  New  Testament, 
and  if  all  the  Popish  donkeys  were  to  get  mad  and  beside  them- 
selves, they  will  not  get  it  out"  There,  therefore,  it  remains  to  the 
present  time. 

This  was  not,  however,  the  only  liberty  which  Luther  took  with 
the  Sacred  Volume.  He  made  contemptuous  allusions  to  several 
Books,  not  only  of  the  Old  Testament,  but  also  of  the  New.  Among 
these  were  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  second  and  third  Epistles 
of  St.  John,  the  Epistle  of  St.  Jude,  the  second  Epistle  of  St.  Peter, 
the  Epistle  of  St.  James,  and  the  Book  of  Revelation.  The  latter 
he  did  not  consider  as  either  Apostolic  or  prophetic,  but  put  it  on 
about  the  same  level  as  the  apocryphal  Fourth  Book  of  Esdras, 
which  he  spoke  of  "tossing  into  the  Elbe"!  On  the  Epistle  of  St. 
James  Luther  was  especially  severe.  He  called  it  an  "epistle  of 
straw,"  because  this  Book,  in  particular,  contradicted  his  doctrine 
of  "Justification  by  Faith  alone,"  which,  popularly  interpreted,  had 
wrought  such  havoc  with  public  morals.  It  is  not  strange  that  he 
discarded  the  Epistle  of  St.  James,  when  he  encountered  there  such 
words  as  these:— "What  doth  it  profit,  my  brethren,  though  a 
man  say  he  hath  faith,  and  have  not  works?  Can  faith  save  him? 
Even  so  faith,  if  it  have  not  works,  is  dead,  being  alone.  Wilt  thou 
know,  O  vain  man,  that  faith  without  works  is  dead?"  (St.  Jas., 

chap,  ii.)- 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  Catholics  prize  the  Bible  less  than  Prot- 
estants. It  is  indeed  true  that,  in  the  sense  of  allowing  everyone  to 
interpret  it  to  suit  himself,  and  to  found  innumerable  sects  upon  it, 
the  Catholics  are  more  careful  in  their  use  of  the  Bible  than  are 
Protestants;  but  the  best  proof  of  the  wisdom  of  such  care  of  the 
Scriptures  is  the  result  which  often  follows  an  unguided  interpre- 
tation of  their  texts.  The  Catholic  Church  has  stipulated,  as  a 
requisite  for  an  absolutely  unrestricted  reading  of  the  entire  Bible,  a 
certain  degree  of  education.  Thus  to  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
in  Hebrew,  Greek  and  Latin  no  objection  has  been  made;  but  for 
those  editions  which  have  appeared  in  the  language  of  the  people, 
and  which  would  be  read,  of  course,  by  many  Christians  who  pos- 
sessed no  special  education,  she  has  required  that  beneath  the  sacred 
text  there  should  be  printed  a  brief  explanation  of  its  meaning,  as 
interpreted  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  We  know  that  every 
heresy,  which  has  arisen  out  of  the  Christian  Church,  has  based  its 
claims,  however  extravagant,  upon  some  verses  from  the  Bible;  and 
all  the  sects  of  Protestantism  are  confirmations  of  the  danger  of  a 


t 


LUTHER 


103 


rfckless  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  with  no  authority  or  tradition  to 
give  an  ultimate  decision  as  to  the  meaning  oj  disputed  passages. 

What  greater  proof  of  the  Church's  veneration  of  the  Bible  can 
be  found  than  in  the  unexampled  care  and  devotion  with  which 
many  thousand  copies  of  the  Scriptures  were  made,  for  centuries,  in 
Catholic  monasteries  and  abbeys?  These  were  often  adorned  with 
the  most  beautiful  illustrations  and  marginal  decorations  and  initials. 
How  literally  splendid  and  beyond  all  price  are  some  of  those  old 
manuscripts!  Many  of  them  are  decorated  with  intricate  patterns 
that  should  be  studied  under  a  magnifying  glass,  and  are  illuminated 
in  five  or  six  different  colours.  It  is  evident  that  the  most  loving 
care  was  lavished  on  their  embellishment,  and  some  of  their  pages 
look  like  gold  plates  jewelled  and  enamelled. 

To  dissociate  the  Catholic  Church  from  the  Bible  is  impossible  in 
the  past  and  equally  so  in  the  present.  In  every  Mass  that  is  cele- 
brated daily  round  the  globe,  when  the  time  for  the  reading. of  the 
Gospel  comes.  Catholics  always  rise  and  remain  standing  till  the 
Gospel  has  been  solemnly  sung  or  read;  and  before  the  celebrant 
begins  to  read  the  selection  for  the  day,  he  utters  this  prayer: — 
"Cleanse  my  heart  and  lips,  O  Almighty  God,  who  didst  cleanse 
the  lips  of  the  Prophet  Isaias  with  a  burning  coal;  and  vouchsafe, 
through  Thy  gracious  mercy,  so  to  purify  me  that  I  may  worthily 
proclaim  Thy  holy  Gospel.  .  .  ." 

This  is  merely  one  proof  out  of  many  that  the  entire  code  of  the 
Church,  her  dogmas,  her  liturgy,  her  catechism,  the  sermons  of  her 
clergy,  her  Sacraments, — in  fact,  her  whole  constitution  and  con- 
tinuous life  are  grounded  on  the  Bible.  Indeed  the  bitterest  re- 
proaches have  been  heaped  upon  the  Catholic  Church  by  Ration- 
alists precisely  because,  as  they  aver,  she  clings  too  closely  to  the 
Bible,  and  interprets  it  too  literally;  and  it  is  from  Protestantism 
not  from  Catholicism,  that  the  most  injurious  attacks  upon  the  Bible 
have  been  made.  In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  recall  the  following 
words,  which  Pope  Benedict  XV.  wrote  in  a  recent  letter  to  the 
Catholic  Truth  Society  in  England: — ^"It  was  with  no  little  glad- 
ness of  heart  that  the  Holy  Father  learned  of  the  work  of  the  So- 
ciety and  of  its  diligence  in  spreading  far  and  wide  copies  of  the 
Holy  Gospels,  as  well  as  of  the  other  books  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  in  multiplying  them  so  as  to  reach  all  men  of  good  will.  .  .  . 
Most  lovingly,  therefore.  His  Holiness  blesses  all  who  have  put  their 
hand  to  this  very  excellent  work;  and  he  earnestly  exhorts  them  to 
persevere  with  ardour  in  so  holy  an  enterprise." 

What,  then,  had  I  found  at  the  end  of  my  investigation  of  the 
history  of  Luther?  Unquestionably  a  man  of  remarkable  energy  and 
great  ability, — qualities  which  he  had  used,  however,  not  to  reform 


t 


t 

i' 

i 


i  \\ 
t  I' 


! 


Mi 


il 


11 


104  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

and  unify  Christ's  Church,  but  to  assail,  insult  and  rend  it;  and 
furthermore,  a  man,  whose  record  shows 

a  grossly  animal  nature, 

immoral  conduct,  ^  1  *  *• 

the  assertion  that  man  is  wholly  unable  to  resist  sensual  temptations, 

broken  vows  to  God, 

a  dangerous  doctrine  of  salvation,  without  regard  to  a  moral  life, 

a  violent,  reckless  style  of  preaching,  which  produced  terrible  results 

to  human  life  and  property, 
a  condoning  of  bigamy,  in  order  to  retain  a  Prince  in  Protestantism, 
an  astounding  amount  of  vile  and  vituperative  language, 
fierce  intolerance  of  criticism, 

domineering  arrogance  in  his  treatment  and  translation  of  the  Bible, 
scurrilous  abuse  of  priests,  the  Pope  and  the  Holy  Mass, 
a  belief  in  witchcraft  and  the  advocacy  of  burning  witches,  and 
a  direct  incitement  to  burn  and  plunder  Jewish  houses,  property  and 

synagogues. 

What  the  results  of  Luther's  revolutionary  system  in  general  have 
been,  remains  to  be  considered;  but  at  this  point  I  asked  myself:— 
What  is  there  in  this  man's  personality,  character,  or  moral  code, 
which  of  itself  would  induce  me  to  espouse  his  doctrines? 

To  this  I  could  only  answer:  Nothing. 

Moreover,  I  felt  that,  if  it  came  to  a  question  of  individual  lead- 
ership, I  much  preferred  the  saintly  and  heroic  figures  of  Ignatius 
Loyola,  Francis  Xavier  and  Carlo  Borromeo  to  the  mutually  revil- 
ing, dictatorial  triumvirate,— Luther,  Calvin  and  Zwingli.  Never- 
theless, before  making  a  final  decision,  I  wished  to  study  some  of 
the  results  of  Luther's  "Reformation"  in  Germany,  America  and 
England. 


(  I 


Chapter  XI 

PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY 
..Germany,  the  ^^^^?:^if^\^:U'^^^,^  ftfelf  XVL^" 

cstant 

IS  morihmd."— Edinburgh  Review.  October,  1880. 

IT  is  claimed  by  most  Protestants  that,  whatever  Lutlier  may 
have  been  as  a  man,  his  system,  ^hich  announces  that  the  Bibte 
M  ^^  tuaT?iunrprefa::^s^ 

'"KUr«.attt;'r,  however,  when  the  ess^tia^^tf 
of  Luther's  Reformation  destroyed  the  umty  of  ^e  Church  o^ 
Jhrist,  and  has  steadily  driven  Protestants  ever  ^^^^"^^H^^^^^^, 
sectarianism  and  infidelity?  This  tendency  also  ^^^^^^  J'J'^ J^^^j 
table  and  hence,  if  Protestantism  bears  wiAm  itself  the  seeds  ot 
S^Mion,  it  must  at  last  disintegrate  entirely,  as  a  rehgtous  en^^^^ 
This  has  already  partly  come  to  pass,  and  precisely  m  the  country 

muallv  leave  the  Protestant  denominations,  either  for  the  ha^f^*^ 

Sufof  Unitlrianism,  or  for  avowed  !«<!'"- -.^Shtd'^^^ 
Tn  Germanv    however,  where  the  support  of  an  establisnea,  na 

oatronage,  »  muWtude  ol  nominal  membets,  though  1  sWvins 

.    S  S;«,  Mill  11.8"  1-  U«  "''.  "^  "'P  rS*  ^  to 
hlgh^t  officii    Tbe  same  i.  t™,  as  ™  shaU  pr«nlly  see,  m 

^■Stsl  that  can  be  said  .f  L.th„anism  to  Genjany  t^»y  >» 

s.  tt  t  s^'SiSa^^  r€?« 

lOS 


I 

1 


io6 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


of  Lutheranism,  that  within  its  limits  the  widest  differences  in  doc- 
trine are  allowed.  Liberal  Lutherans  can  hardly  be  distinguished 
from  Unitarians.  Many  of  the  laity,  and  many  even  of  the  clergy 
also,  no  longer  believe  the  dogmas  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  the  Divinity 
of  Christ,  the  Virgin  Birth,  and  other  features  of  the  Apostles'  Creed. 
If  parents  still  have  their  children  confirmed,  it  is  not  always  be- 
cause either  they  or  their  offspring  really  possess  decided  religious 
convictions,  but  because  in  Germany  it  has  long  been  legally  neces- 
sary for  every  citizen  to  declare  his  position  in  regard  to  the  reli- 
gious "Confessions"  of  the  country;  that  is,  to  state  in  which  of 
them  he  wishes  to  be  officially  classed, — ^whether  as  Protestant, 
Catholic,  Jew,  or  Confessionslos. 

Yet,  after  all,  the  language  of  the  Lutheran  catechism  is  so  explicit, 
and  the  words  of  the  confirmation  service  so  impressive,  that  one  is 
shocked  to  find  that  it  is  now  to  such  an  extent  an  empty  form.  For 
a  goodly  number  of  the  children  thus  confirmed,  rarely,  if  ever,  go 
to  church  again;  largely  because  their  parents  do  not  care  to  force 
them  to  attend  a  service  which  they  themselves  neglect.  Hence 
among  German  Lutherans  church  attendance  is  estimated  at  only 
from  2  per  cent,  to  14  per  cent,  of  the  population,  while  the  numv 
ber  of  communicants  often  falls  below  one-tenth  of  those  entitled 
to  partake  of  the  Holy  Sacrament  1 

A  few  quotations  from  some  Protestant  authorities  will  establish 
the  correctness  of  these  statements.  The  celebrated  Court  chaplain 
at  Berlin,  Dr.  Stocker,  wrote,  some  years  ago,  as  follows: — ^''We 
have  provincial  churches,  in  which  every  degree  of  infidelity  to  the 
Faith,  and  every  hostility  to  the  Creed,  is  allowed,  even  in  the  pul- 
pits. We  have  just  now  had  the  case  of  a  diocesan  superintendent 
and  clergyman,  who  has,  in  an  article,  characterised  the  Divinity  of 
Christ  as  a  false  doctrine;  yet  he  still  remains  in  his  twofold  office  I" 
In  a  Protestant  paper  of  Berlin  {Kreuz  Zeitung,  No.  193,  1902) 
occurs  the  following:— "The  Church,  then,  is  expected  to  give  up 
absolutely  the  dogma  of  the  Resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  which 
it  stands  or  falls,  and  to  let  Easter  sermons  be  preached  on  the 
subject  of  the  decaying  corpse  of  Jesus  1  And  the  persons  who  see 
in  these  things  true  Christianity  either  hold  ecclesiastical  offices  and 
dignities,  or  are  teachers  and  professors  of  distinction  and  influence! " 

The  renowned  Protestant  theologian.  Professor  Adolf  Harnack, 
some  of  whose  words  in  praise  of  "Jesus  as  man"  have  been  quoted 
in  a  previous  chapter,  is  looked  upon  by  many  Protestants  in  Ger- 
many as  the  latest  and  highest  exponent  of  modern  Protestant  the- 
ology. His  book  entitled  "The  Essence  of  Christianity"  has  passed 
through  several  editions,  in  the  preface  to  one  of  which  he  states  that 
he  has  received  expressions  of  the  liveliest  satisfaction  with  his  work, 
not  only  at  home,  but  "jrom  many  other  countries,  from  all  denomi- 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY. 


J07 


«ntin«,  and  from  all  theological  and  ecclesiastical  centres."  What 
S  hi  Vot/ Terefore,  on  W  subject  of  modern  ^^^^^^^^^J^ 
certainly  of  the  greatest  importance.  Among  other  thmgs,  Professor 
Harnack  reject' ?he  Fourth  Gospel  as  a  trustworthy  historical  source, 

"Tdenirthat  it  was  written  by  St.  Jo^^J^^^Zl^^tX 
St  Luke  he  also  considers  to  have  been  written,  not  by  Luke,  Dut  oy 
som^ne  contemporaneous  with  the  Emperor  Dom.tian,  a.d.  8-96. 
From  the  first  three  Gospels  also  he  would  eliminate  the  miraculous. 
fZ  TnWs  opinion,  caUed  Himself  the  Son  of  God  merely  in  the 
LTsethat  He  knew  God  better  than  anyone  who  had  Preceded  Hun 
fnLt  Professor  Harnack  says  distinctly  :-"/eju5  Chrtstdoes  not 
felontinth^ospd^^^^^^  Christus  gehort  nlcht  in  das  Evan- 

^'¥h'^se  ideas  are  not,  of  course,  original  with  Professor  Harnack, 
J I  had  been  familiar  with  them  in  rationalistic  circles  for  for  y    . 
t^rs  •  but  what  is  remarkable  is  the  fact  that  they  are  according  to 
S  o^n  slTement,  now  accepted  and  applauded  h^ProtMsM 
J^e^the  world.    I^  the  Evangelical  Church  Paper  of  ^/^ '« J^'    1 
over  .no  remarks-— "If  Dr.  Harnack  is  right,  then  Chns- 

tTnUy  ha;S  or  neady  nineteen  hundred  years  in  the  greatest 
erroS-h  ch  offend  against  the  majesty  of  God;  fo'-^^.s  erudite  man 
denis  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  His  actual  Resurrection,  the  niiracl J 

nf  ScriDture  and  therewith  all  the  supernatural  in  Chnstiamty.    Ac- 
Scripture,  ana  I  ^^  ^.^j^  ^^^  g^gp^j,  ^  ^  , 

wSr^SfwUhD  Harnack  Lnot  believe  in  the  Redeemer. 
S^m  dX  tUlogy  has  a  different  reUgion  from  01.^  ^^  - 
,,n,lpr<stand  clearly,  in  merely  this  one  pomt,  the  difference  between 
tjf  Je^and  th?old  faith,  and  ask  ourselves:-May  we  pray  to 
Christ  or  not?  May  we  in  hours  of  distress  of  ^ul  call  to  Christy 
unrist  or  not  r    A  ajr  phnrrh  of  all  the  centuries  has 

.I.,rf  tav.  n,„^»  "l  ^'^Z  »Ua»  Hto  as  God,  we 

'  This'sDirit  of  rationalism  in  the  Protestant  Churches  is  however. 
This  sP»"t  ot  raiwn  widespread  in  Protestant  Scan- 

not  confined  to  Germany.    11  is  very  w>u    p      -.„„,•  „„j  Palvin.* 
dinavia,  and  in  Switzerland  also,  the  home  of  Zwingh  and  Calvm. 

*  The  strongly  Protestant  Bemer  MlaH  t^^^^g^^^.^^Z^y'l'^- 
a  leading  article  on  "Victorious  Catholic.srn.  m  «h,ch^\  ^  j^  J  The 
fessed  that  "Protestant  North  Germany  is  tearing  I'.xii  » 


io8 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY 


109 


ii' 


In  1 90 1,  in  Berne,  at  a  memorial  service  in  honour  of  Pestalozzi, 
the  high-school  Professor,  Dr.  Vetter,  delivered  an  address,  in  which 
he  said: — ^"'Religious  instruction,  as  it  is  now  given  in  the  schools, 
must  be  done  away  with,  because  it  rests  on  the  belief  in  a  personal 
God"!  In  reply  to  a  criticism  of  this  address,  Professor  Vetter, 
among  other  things,  wrote: — ^**In  the  eyes  of  the  present  generation 
a  God  is  nothing  else  than  a  creation  of  our  thought,  an  emanation 
of  the  human  intellect.  This  God  was  never  born  in  a  supernatural 
way,  as  God;  He  has  never  risen  from  the  dead.  These  things  were 
useful  as  realities  only  for  humanity  in  its  childhood.  Your  col- 
league in  Neuchatel,  who  preached  against  my  speech,  because  I 
treated  the  Resurrection  as  a  fable,  belongs  also  to  that  childish 
generation.  Otherwise  he  would  know  that  many  pastors  and  the 
most  of  our  contemporaries  consider  a  personal  God,  the  Trinity,  the 
Redemption,  the  Resurrection,  the  Last  Judgment,  and  all  miracu' 
lous  stories  which  one  tells  to  children,  as  fables!"  * 

What  wonder  that  the  Allgemeine  Evangel-Lutheran  Kirch- 
zeitung  exclaims: — ^**It  is  enough  to  make  humanity  mourn  to  see 


Lutheran  Church  there  is  silent  and  dismembered.  Every  pastor  preaches 
his  own  catechism,  and  many  pastors  in  blind  folly  are  helping  to  establish 
the  supremacy  of  the  proletariat.  What  wonder  if  German  Catholics  enter- 
tain the  hope  that,  in  the  universal  misery  and  despair  now  prevalent,  many 
Protestants  of  all  classes  will  find  their  way  back  to  the  bosom  of  that 
Church  which  by  her  changeless  faith  and  tranquillising  institutions  promises 
to  their  restless  souls  abundant  peace  and  satisfaction?  We  must  look  for 
these  expectations  to  be  fully  realised,  not  only  in  Germany,  but  also  in  Eng- 
land, America  and  Switzerland."  The  article  closes  with  the  prediction  that, 
if  Germany  is  to  be  saved  from  chaos  and  ruin,  this  will  in  all  probability  be 
accomplished  principally  by  Catholic  South  Germany.  It  expresses  also  the 
hope  that  the  limitless  Individualism  which  is  so  characteristic  of  German 
Protestantism  to-day,  can  be  counteracted,  for  otherwise  German  Protes- 
tantism will  lose  its  vitality. 

♦Friends  of  the  author  have  been  recently  residing  in  a  Swiss  village, 
the  Protestant  pastor  of  which  they  describe  as  a  thorough  unbeliever  in 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  Nevertheless,  though  many  regard  him  as  an 
atheist,  he  preaches  on  Sunday  and  even  prepares  the  children  for  their  first 
communion!  The  servant  of  my  friends  once  boasted  to  them  that  their 
pastor  was  a  free-thinker.  In  response  to  their  indignant  inquiry  how  the 
villagers  could  tolerate  for  their  spiritual  guide  a  man  who  denied  the  exist- 
ence of  God,  the  yoimg  girl  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  replied:  "Oh,  we 
are  all  free-thinkers  here  I"  Certainly  the  morals  of  the  village  justified  the 
assertion.  This  pastor  was  obliged  by  law  to  hold  occasionally  a  kind  of 
Sunday-school  for  a  brief  period,  but  the  young  girl  assured  my  friends  that  j 
he  soon  became  so  bored  with  his  task  that  he  sent  the  children  out  to  play, ' 
while  he  himself  went  to  the  nearest  inn,  where  he  played  cards  all  the  Sun- 
day afternoon.  It  is  only  fair  to  state,  however,  that  the  Swiss  Cantons 
have  a  great  amount  of  autonomy  in  such  matters,  and  hence  may  vary  some- 
what in  their  religious  status. 


r 


how  our  youth  are  being  ruined."  Yet  these  professors  and  pastors 
who  believe  nothing,  or  almost  nothing,  of  the  fundamentals  of 
Christianity,  if  they  desire  a  position  in  the  Church,  must  state 
under  oath  that  they  do  believe  in  the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of 
God,  in  His  work  of  Redemption,  in  the  Inspiration  of  the  Bible 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  other  essentials  of  the  Creed!  I  prefer  not 
to  characterise  this  conduct,  but  will  let  Friedrich  Perthes  speak  of 
it  in  his  autobiography: — ^^^Infidels  go  into  positions  in  the  Church, 
and  stand  there  as  pastors,  who  before  God  and  man  are  perjurers 
and  hypocrites." 

The  University  of  Halle  has  given  to  the  majority  of  North  Ger- 
mans their  theological  education.  For  years  the  favourite  lecturer 
there  on  the  subject  of  Church  history  was  the  celebrated  Professor 
Gesenius.  F.  W.  Krummacher,  in  his  autobiography  (p.  39),  re- 
lates the  following: — ^**I  cannot  think  of  Gesenius  otherwise  than 
having  on  his  hps  a  sarcastic  smile,  whenever  he  alluded  to  any  of 
the  specifically  Christian  truths,  or  to  any  of  the  Biblical  miracles. 
It  was  especially  in  his  lectures  on  Church  history  that  his  incre- 
dulity often  exhibited  the  most  unlimited  frivolity.  We  frequently 
felt  that  we  were  being  led  by  him  through  an  immense  lunatic 
asylum,  where  nothing  was  to  be  seen  except  material  for  pitiful 
sympathy  or  Homeric  laughter.  The  Professor's  witticisms  were 
liberally  rewarded  with  the  latter.  The  whole  Olympus  of  his  audi- 
torium, always  crowded  to  the  furthest  limit,  resounded  with  shouts 
of  merriment.  Woe  to  him  who  learned  the  history  of  God's  Church 
on  earth  in  no  other  way  than  through  the  treatment  given  to  it  by 
that  caricaturist  in  a  doctor's  robes." 

The  Edinburgh  Review  (October,  1880)  contamed  an  article  on 
"Germany  in  the  Present  and  the  Past,"  which  stated  that  the  land 
which  was  the  cradle  of  the  Reformation  had  become  the  grave  of 
the  Reformed  Faith.  "The  Protestant  Church  of  Germany,"  it  de- 
clared, "is  moribund.  All  comparatively  recent  works  on  Germany, 
as  well  as  all  personal  observations,  tell  the  same  tale.  Denial  of 
every  tenet  of  the  Protestant  Faith  among  the  thinking  classes,  and 
indifference  in  the  masses,  are  the  positive  and  negative  agencies  to 
which  the  Church  of  Luther  and  Melancthon  has  succumbed." 

In  the  correspondence  of  the  distinguished  philosopher  Ludwig 
Feuerbach  (vol.  ii.,  p.  231,  1874)  we  read:— "An  unbelieving  Prot- 
estant of  South  Germany  wrote,  in  1870,  to  his  friend  Feuerbach 
as  follows: — ^^*I  have  until  now,  out  of  consideration  for  certain 
people,  always  gone  to  Communion  every  year  on  Good  Friday,  and 
must  frankly  confess  that  I  have  been  ashamed  of  myself  for  doing 
so.  My  better  self  revolted  at  such  hypocrisy.  Yet,  what  else  can 
I  do,  since  I  must  live,  as  a  small  tradesman,  in  dependence  on  those 


no 


i 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


people?  I  am  now  too  old  to  emigrate,  and  it  would  be  hard  to 
tear  myself  away  from  my  beautiful  mountains.  I  ask  you  for  your 
advice  m  this  matter,  which  is  so  important  to  me.'^  Feuerbach 
replied:— ^'Rehgion  is  so  dead  and  devoid  of  credit,  that  it  is  a  mat- 
ter  of  perfect  mdifference  whether  one  conforms  to  its  usages  or 
not"!  ^ 

In  regard  to  this  state  of  things,  Hohoff,  in  his  '*  Revolution," 
says:— "Hypocrites  are  always  to  be  found,  more  or  less,  but  suck 
a  Widespread  religious  deception,  as  is  practised  now  inside  of  mod^ 
em  Protestantism,  is  seen  nowhere  in  world-history,  not  even  at  the 
time  of  the  dying  out  of  ancient  heathenism."    The  historian  Menzl 
in  his    Kritik  des  modernen  Zeitbewusstseins"  (pp.  245-247)   says- 
—"In  the  name  of  Education  it  is  claimed  that  all  that  is  specificaUy 
Chrtsttan,  even  tn  Protestantism,  must  be  rejected.  .  .  .  With  the 
open  or  secret  approval  of  the  educated  public,  infidelity  is  spread- 
mg  more  and  more  widely  among  the  lower  strata  of  society 
The  number  of  those  who  no  longer  believe  anything  is  growing 
appa  Imgly  among  the  people,  especially  among  our  youths,  whose 
unbelief  expresses  itself  in  the  only  way  possible,— the  crudest  and 
most  brutal  forms." 

The  Prussian  General  Superintendent,  Dr.  C.  Buchsel,  a  pious 
and  believing  Lutheran,  wrote  in  his  Memoirs  ("Erinnerungen  aus 
dem  Leben  eines  Landgeistlichen,"  1883)  the  following:— "A 
preacher  m  the  neighbourhood  had  preached  at  Easter  against  the 
doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  A  man  went  to  him  and 
asked  whether  he  had  understood  him  correctly.  The  pastor,  whom 
he  found  playing  cards,  took  a  groschen  from  the  table,  and  said:— 

Go  and  buy  a  rope,  and  hang  yourself,  and  then  you  will  find  out 
how  it  IS  with  the  resurrection.    When  you  can,  come  and  tell  me 
about  It.     The  man  came  to  me,  and  requested  me  to  report  the 
matter  to  the  King.    When  I  refused  to  do  so,  he  was  silent  at  first, 
but  said,  as  he  took  his  leave:-*I  see  plainly  that  one  crow  does 
not  pick  out  the  eyes  of  the  rest  of  the  flock.'    Another  man  was 
m  the  habit  of  going  from  one  church  to  another,  and  heard  a  great 
variety  of  doctrines.    He  often  came  to  hear  me  also.    When  I  met 
him,  one  day,  he  said  to  me:— 1  do  not  go  to  church  any  more,  for 
I  become  absolutely  confused,  and  no  longer  know  what  I  ought  to 
believe.     I  referred  him  to  the  Bible,  and  told  him  to  examine  the 
question  for  himself,  but  he  replied:-^Oh,  they  all  appeal  to  that; 
but  which  of  them  is  right?'  "  ' 

The  Protestant  philosopher  Masaryk  says:— "Germany,  the  Fa- 
therland  of  Luther,  presents  a  sad  picture  of  religious  life  ...  and 
tt  ts  the  Protestant  theology  itself  which  sows  unbelief,  and  under^ 
mtnes  Christianity." 

It  is  needless  to  multiply  instances  of  this  kind  further.    If  these 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY 


III 


are  not  sufficient  to  reveal  the  state  of  the  Protestant  Church  in 
Continental  Europe,  and  the  tendency  among  its  leaders  to  go  into 
Indifferentism,  Rationalism  and  Deism,  then  evidence  is  worthless. 
Protestantism  in  Germany  has  become,  for  the  most  part,  a  laby- 
rinth of  contradictory  private  doctrinal  opinions,  and  is  little  more 
than  Rationalism  in  the  garb  of  Christianity. 

The  wonder  is  that  those  who  disbelieve  in  a  personal  God,  in 
the  Divinity  of  Christ,  in  His  Resurrection,  Ascension  and  Redemp- 
tion,— in  fact,  in  all  the  supernatural  characteristics  of  Christianity, 
wish  to  remain,  and  are  allowed  to  remain,  within  an  institution  in 
whose  catechism  all  these  doctrines  are  explicitly  taught! 

Protestantism,  we  are  often  told,  is  the  very  core  and  pith  of  Ger- 
man progress  and  character;  but  what  is  Protestantism?  The  Prot-» 
estant  Dr.  Stocker  calls  the  views  of  the  Protestant  Dr.  Harnack 
heretical ;  while  the  latter  regards  the  views  of  Dr.  Stocker  as  child- 
ish. Who  shall  decide  when  Doctors  disagree?  Where  is  there 
among  Protestants  any  authority  to  put  an  end  to  the  existence  in 
the  same  Church  of  absolutely  irreconcilable  dogmas,  and  to  elimi- 
nate from  the  Church  those  who  deny  its  very  raison  d'etre, — the 
Divinity  of  its  Founder,  and  who  teach  the  youth  of  Europe  to  dis- 
believe the  existence  of  God? 

To  such  a  rationalistic  Protestantism  as  this  I  was  unwilling  to 
return.  Amid  the  notions  which  its  leaders  advocated  I  had  wan- 
dered as  a  Unitarian  and  Agnostic  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and 
wished  to  have  no  more  of  them.  Why  should  I  seek  to  save  my- 
self from  spiritual  shipwreck  on  a  raft  whose  dissolution  appeared 
imminent? 

"But  have  you  some  more  personal  proof  of  this  condition  of 
Protestantism  in  Germany?"  the  reader  may  perhaps  inquire. 
"Abundant  proof  from  personal  experience,"  I  at  once  reply. 

Out  of  several  instances  let  me  cite  a  conversation  which  I  had 
recently  with  a  distinguished  German  scientist  and  his  wife.  I 
had  related  to  them  something  which  had  transpired  in  a  "Reformed 
Lutheran"  church,  in  a  town  where  I  had  once  resided,  and  which 
had  seemed  to  me  a  striking  illustration  of  religious  apathy.  At 
Pentecost  I  had  attended  the  Protestant  service  there,  and  at  its 
close  had  been  surprised  to  see  almost  the  entire  congregation  leave 
the  edifice  without  communicating,  to  do  which  they  had  been 
especially  invited.  I  paused  to  note  how  many  members  actually 
lingered  for  that  purpose.  In  the  whole  church,  left  empty  save 
for  themselves  and  me,  were  only  five  communicants  kneeling  at  the 
chancel  rail,  and  they  were  waiting  there  for  the  return  of  the  pastor, 
who,  according  to  his  usual  custom,  had  stepped  out  into  the  church- 
yard through  the  sacristy  door,  and  was  shaking  hands  with  some 
of  his  parishioners.    Yet  when  I  spoke  of  the  painful  impression 


I 


i 


! 


ZI2 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


\) 


Ml 


V 


made  upon  me  by  that  scene,  neither  the  Professor  nor  his  wife 
could  understand  my  feelings.  "Many  Protestants,"  they  assured 
me,  "no  longer  care  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  We,  for 
example,  never  do.    The  rite  has  no  significance  for  us." 

"But  surely,"  I  replied,  "Protestants  hold  that  Jesus  instituted 
that  most  solemn  Sacrament,  as  a  symbol  of  His  death  for  the 
remission  of  sins?" 

''All  Protestants  do  not  hold  that  doctrine,"  was  the  answer; 
**we  feel  no  need  of  Christ  to  stand  between  ourselves  and  God. 
We  do  not  pray  to  Him,  and  do  not  wish  to  go  to  the  Communion 
service." 

"But  the  Divinity  of  the  Son  of  God  .  .  .  ?"  I  faltered. 

**We  think  of  Jesus  merely  as  a  man,"  remarked  the  Professor's 
wife;  "wonderfuUy  gifted  spiritually,  like  the  Hebrew  prophets, 
it  is  true;  but  we  do  not  consider  Him  as  God." 

"You  are,  then,  Unitarians  or  Deists,"  I  said;  "and  that  is  an 
attitude  which  I  understand,  and  once  agreed  with.  But  what 
astonishes  me  is  the  fact  that  you,— holding  such  views,— 5/i//  class 
yourselves  with  Protestants,  and  are  so  regarded  by  the  Evangelical 
pastor  of  this  city." 

"My  dear  sir,"  explained  the  Professor,  "we  are  Protestants  be- 
cause Protestantism  means  freedom;  and  because  liberty  of  private 
judgment  in  matters  of  doctrine  is  our  rule  of  life.  As  Protestants, 
we  are  all  jree  to  believe  what  we  like  to  believe,  I  do  not  want  any- 
one to  form  my  creed  for  me,  or  to  compel  me  to  go  to  church. 
Some  of  us  Protestants  go  to  church ;  others  do  not ;  we  do  not.  Some 
of  us  believe  in  the  Divinity  of  Christ  and  in  His  miracles;  others 
do  not ;  we  do  not.  Many  of  us  believe  in  a  future  life ;  we  do  not. 
For  us  death  means  annihilation,  a  dreamless  sleep.  Nevertheless 
we  class  ourselves  as  Protestants,  because  Protestantism  signifies  the 
spirit  of  free  inquiry,  which  is  the  spirit  now  prevailing  at  our 
modern  Universities." 

"You  may  well  be  proud  of  your  modern  Universities,"  I 
answered,  "and  no  doubt  they  are  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  Rationalism;  but  you.  Professor,  know  as  well  as  I  do,  that 
Europe  does  not  owe  her  oldest,  and  hitherto  most  famous,  in- 
stitutions of  learning  to  Protestantism.  These  antedated  the  Refor- 
mation, and  were  all  founded  by  Catholics,  most  of  them  by  Popes. 
What  a  list  they  make  when  linked  together!  I  cannot  now  recall 
them  all,  but  among  them  certainly  are  the  Universities  of  Rome, 
Bologna,  Perugia,  Pisa,  Padua,  Florence,  Ferrara,  Naples,  Paris, 
Toulouse,  Orleans,  Montpellier,  Poictiers,  Avignon,  Grenoble  and 
Louvain;  Valladolid,  Salamanca,  Lisbon,  Prague,  Cracow,  Vienna, 
Oxford,  Cambridge,  Heidelberg,  Cologne,  Erfurt,  Leipzig,  Rostock, 
Trier,  Freiburg,  Basel,  Ingolstadt,  Mainz,  Tiibingen,  Wittenberg, 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY 


"3 


and  Frankfurt  on  the  Oder.  Even  the  University  of  Marburg,  the 
first  to  be  founded  after  the  Reformation,  as  a  bulwark  of  Lutheran- 
ism,  was  mainly  constructed  out  of  the  confiscation  of  Catholic 

monasteries."  ,„       ^    .    ^    ^' 

"I  know  I  know,"  replied  the  Professor;  "but  Protestantism  is 
at  aU  events  the  principle  of  progress;  it  is  the  secret  of  Germany  s 
national  efficiency  to-day." 

"Is  it  fair,"  I  answered,  "for  you  to  attribute  all  the  progress  and 
efficiency  of'  Germany  to  Protestantism,  when  nearly  half  of  Ger- 
manys  population  is  Catholic?  If  the  Berlin  Court  is  Protestant 
(that  is  to  say,  largely  rationalistic),  the  Saxon  Court  is  Catholic;  if 
Prussia  is  largely  Lutheran,  Bavaria,  Baden  and  the  Rhmelands  are 
conspicuously  loyal  to  the  Holy  See."  ,  ..  i..  u  i,  „ 

"It  is  the  Protestant  part  of  Germany,"  he  answered,  which  has 
made  it  great,  and  surely  you  will  allow  that  all  Protestant  lands 
are  much  more  prosperous,  enterprising  and  powerful  than  Catholic 

"If  that  be  true  at  present,"  I  replied,  "it  is  due  to  reasons  which 
have  litde  or  nothing  to  do  with  Protestantism,  as  a  reltgwus  system. 
Catholic  countries  also  have  been  prosperous,   enterprising  and 
powerful  in  the  past,  when  commercial  and  political  condtttons  were 
more  favourable  for  them  than  they  are  to-day.    Was  not  Catholic 
Spain,  before  England  began  her  well-known  career  on  the  seas,  the 
foremost  nation  of  the  world?    Did  not  her  flag  then  flutter  over 
half  the  globe?    Was  not  Catholic  France  powerful  uj^der  L«uis 
XIV  ?    Was  not  Catholic  Florence  enterprising  under  the  Medici? 
Was  "not  the  Catholic  Republic  of  Venice  marvellously  prosperous 
in  its  unexampled  history  of  a  thousand  years  of  conquest,  glory  and 
magnificence?   Nations  have  lives,  like  individuals,  and  pass  through 
periods  of  childhood,  youth,  maturity,  old  age  and  even  senility 
but  among  the  causes  of  their  growth  and  their  decay  the  principal 
factor  has  not  been  the  form  of  their  religion,  but  the  lack  of  any 
real  religious  faith  and  character  whatever.     Facilities  for  com- 
merce   a  large  accumulaUon  of  capital,  conveniences  for  inland 
traffic' by  lakes  and  rivers,  natural  mineral  resources,  the  discovery 
of  new  trade  routes,  and  the  quicker  utilisation  of  mechanical 
inventions,-these  are  a  few  of  the  causes  which  have  determined 
the  rise  and  long  supremacy  of  nations;  just  as  a  lack  of  such 
advantages,   excessive    luxury,    poUtical    corruption     the   use    of 
slave  labour,  and  repeated  wars  have  led  to  their  decline.    Some 
of  these  causes  certainly  have,  in  modern  times,  contributed  to  the 
material  prosperity  of  the  so-called  Protestant  nations;  but  what 
shall  we  say  of  the  methods  which  those  lands  have  used,  and  are 
still  using,  to  acquire  and  retmn  their  wealth  and  power?    Materially 
they  have  prospered;  but  in  the  sphere  of  ethics  and  reltgton  a 


114 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


I 


steril.ty  and  blight  have  fallen  on  them  which  are  fatal  to  their 
spm  ml  progress.    It  is  true  that  this  sterility  and  S Lh?  have 
^nted  Cathohc  countries  also,  but  in  so  far  as  this  has  been  the 
c^,  It  has  been  owing  to  the  fact  that  these  were  mi  geZndl 
^%.«.  or  really  Catholic  but  practically  as  godless  and  irn"t 
the  others  m  respect  to  the  policy  of  their  Governments.    For  a  ter 
an  what  IS  the  standard  by  which  the  present  world's  'prosper  ty' 
^  measured?    It  certainly  is  not  God's  standard,  but  ratSrtLat 
of  the  average  hedonist.    This  means,  financialty,  the  makL  of 
krge  fortunes  by  a.y  means;  socially,  indulgence  in  sensuous  eniy 
ments;  commercially,  seizing  by  force  or  intrigue  the  markeS  of 
the  worid,  as  'spheres  of  influence';  and  politi^lly,  thrcripplina 

maif,T°°A'°'""'^''"^'   "^^^^'   '^""^ined   w'ith   a     u„n bg 
TnTTi  1°1°'  ^y^  "^'^  "°^^'-  the  pretence  of  a  'free  p3 
Sil      /'T''"'  P'"^'^  ^"^  ^"  "^'^^  iIls,-Umversal  Suffrage 
,w7  •  .       ^^T  ^  '*"'""«  disproportion  between  a  nation's 
JS  of  '''  °"''^'''*  'prosperity.'    It  has  been  largety  a 

"Jruth  for  ever  on  the  scaffold, 
Wrong  for  ever  on  the  throne." 

In  any  event,  I  do  not  think  it  fair  to  identify  the  Catholic  Church 
with  what  are  loosely  called  'Catholic'  countries.  StrTctty  sS 
ing,  there  are  no  'Catholic'  countries.  There  are  peoples  most  o 
whose  inhabitants  practise,  or  at  least  profess  the '  Stho^ 
religion,  but  there  is  not  a  single  one  of  them  whose  poUHcs  isbasTd 
upon  the  pnnciples  of  the  Catholic  ChurcK  or  which  is  .oLrnedbv 
men  who  really  conform  to  them.  And  yet  these  so  clie^Jatfolfc^ 
countries,  although  their  Governments  may  be  practically  athds tic 
^e  often  accused  of  deeds  and  characteristics  which  have  noS 

Srt7>     •'  "^'"^  f '  ^"^'""^^  "^  ^^  ^^"^^^  -f  Rome,  or  S 
Chnstiamty  in  any  form.     Do  not  forget  that  thirty  years  ago 

Rrp'ubn?"^^^^  -id:-'Atheists  are  now  masters  of Ve Trenlh 

cede^^hft'  irlt?'  "f""'K'  "^i'  ^"^P^^ticaUy,  "you  must  con- 
cede  that  m  the  countries  where  the  Catholic  religion  prevails  there 
IS  much  more  social  immorality  than  in  Protestant  lands  "' 
Are  you  acquainted  with  social  conditions  in  this  respect  pre- 
.vailing  m  England,  Scotland  and  Sweden?"  I  replied    Tdo  not 
|like,  however,  this  arbitrary  separation  of  nations StocategoS^^^^^^ 
I  virtuous  sheep  and  vicious  goats,  for  it  may  well  be  doubted  wheLr 
the  total  sum  of  moral  depravity  in  any  one  race  or  country  is  reX 
^  much  greater  than  in  others.    We  judge  of  them  too  SperlTaHy 
Some  races,  like  some  individuals,  display  their  vices  opeS    wS 
others  hide  beneath  a  gloss  of  hypocritical  piety  or  S^y  fir 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  GERMANY 


"5 


greater  depths  of  evil.  In  any  event,  may  I  remind  you  that  there 
are  weightier  sins  than  those  of  the  flesh,  if  we  may  judge  from 
Christ's  own  words.  For  since  such  sins  are  often  temperamental 
rather  than  essentially  vicious,  they  may  be,  relatively,  more  ex- 
cusable than  such  cold-blooded  crimes  as  deliberate  cruelty,  inten- 
tional calumny,  the  impoverishment  of  countless  widows  and  orphans  ^ 
through  the  wrecking  of  railroads  or  illegitimate  speculation,  the 
pitiless  exploitation  of  the  helpless  poor,  the  hideous  system  of  child 
labour,  and  the  helping  of  criminals  to  escape  justice  through  the 
use  of  perjured  witnesses  or  legal  technicalities.  Now  all  these  sins 
are  peculiarly  characteristic  of  certain  Protestant  lands,  which  con- 
sider themselves  much  more  virtuous  than  their  Catholic  neighbours, 
because  such  crimes,  forsooth,  may  be  unaccompanied  by  visible 
carnal  weakness.  What  the  respective  balance  of  guilt  may  be  m 
the  sight  of  God,  is  not  for  us  to  say;  but  it  is  remarkable  that 

Christ, Man's  future  Judge, — ^said  to  the  woman  taken  in  adultery: 

^'Neither  do  I  condemn  thee;  go  and  sin  no  more,'  though  He 

repeatedly  exclaimed  to  certain  highly  placed  and  sanctimonious 
persons:— 'Woe  unto  you.  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocritesl  for 
ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful 
outwardly,  but  are  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  of  all  un- 
cleanliness.  'Even  so  ye  also  outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men, 
but  within  ye  are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity'  (Matt,  xxiii.  14, 
27,  28).  There  is  an  immense  deal  of  hypocrisy  in  this  respect  in 
so-called  Protestant  lands,  and,  in  regard  to  'immorality,'  as  you 
define  it,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  in  no  country  in  the  worid  are 
women  so  chaste  and  above  reproach  as  in  Ireland,  although  no 
land  is  more  devoutly  loyal  to  the  Catholic  Church  than  is  the 

^Island  of  the  Saints.' " 

The  old  Professor  smiled.  "I  quite  agree  with  you,"  he  said, 
"that  so-called  'Protestant'  countries  have  no  right  to  accuse  the 
so-called  'Catholic'  lands  of  sins  of  any  sort.  They  have  enough 
of  their  own.  But  this  is  going  far  afield.  Let  us  return  to  our 
original  theme,— that  of  the  present  condition  of  Protestantism. 
In  Germany,  I  must  admit,  although  there  still  remains  much 
genuine  faith  and  piety  among  her  Protestants,  their  Protestantism, 
as  a  whole,  bears  little  resemblance  to  Lutheranism,  and  is  honey- 
combed with  Rationalism.    But  how  is  it  in  America?" 

My  answer  to  that  question  is  contained  in  the  next  chapter. 


Wil    *i,Ai- 


Chapter  XII 

PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 

"The  American  cleric,— I  refer  to  the  non-Roman  parson  —is  the 
poorest  paid  mm.ster  of  religion  in  the  world,  so  far  L  I  know  and 
I  know  a  good  deal  about  this  matter.  .  .  .  This  mean,  this  low  t'reat- 
»,n".  °-^  the  clergy  goes  hand  in  hand  with  the  most  w^stefu  extra va- 
gance  m  all  other  church  affairs.  I  know  a  church  that  eives  four 
thousand  dollars  a  year  for  its  music,  and  twelve  hundred  to  itlpastor 
....  I  know  a  country  church,  made  up  almost  of  millionaires  thai 
gives  one  thousand  dollars  to  its  rector.  Such  cases  could  be  miltl 
phed  many  times  over  throughout  the  United  States ''—ThfrIv 
MUNROE  Rovce:  The  Passinglf  the  Americal.^  Ill  ul 

Dr.  J  B.  Hingeley  stated  at  Atlantic  City,  January  8  1020  that  er 
per  cent,  of  the  Protestant  ministers  in  America  averaged  kss  thin 
one  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  that  less  than  i  per  cent^of  the  entire 
number  received  as  much  as  three  thousand  dollars  a  yean 

THAT  there  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sincere  and  deeply 
reh^ous  Protestants  in  America  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
Many  of  their  churches  are  flourishing,  many  of  their 
pastors  are  men  of  piety  and  eminent  ability,  many  of  their  benevo- 
lent societies  are  noted  for  their  charities,  and  all  contribute  liberally 
to  the  cause  of  Foreign  Missions.    Some  even  show  considerable 
misplaced  zeal  m  trymg  to  make  Protestants  out  of  the  Catholics  of 
other  Chnstian  lands.    All  this  is  conceded  at  the  start.    But,  when 
American  Protestantism  is  looked  at  as  a  religious  system,  and  is 
compared,  as  such,  with  Catholicism,  it  certainly  does  not  correspond 
to  the  one,  Apostolic,  undivided  Church  which  Jesus  founded,  and 
for  the  unity  of  which  He  prayed  so  tenderly.    On  the  contrary, 
there  is  no  country  in  the  world  where  Protestantism  has  become  so 
fragmentary  as  in  the  United  States. 

At  the  first  glance  it  presents  an  appearance  of  unity,  but  it  is 
hke  the  rings  of  Saturn,  which,  seen  from  afar,  seem  ti  be  solid 
masses,  but  m  reality  are  only  congeries  of  individual  aerolites, 
loosely  held  together.  Protestantism  in  America  is  a  conglomera- 
tnl.  T^-,r  '"^  ^''tagonistic  sects,  whose  rivalry  in  country 
towns  and  villages  is  frequently  intense,  so  keen  is  their  desire 
to  secure  the  greatest  number  of  members,  the  most  attractive 
JH-eacher,  or  the  best  music.  «"'<»».uve 

In  many  towns  of  the  United  States,  whose  Protestant  church- 
goers  are  hardly  numerous  enough  to  fill  a  single  meeting-house,  three 
or  four  church  buildings  stand  within  short  distance  of  one  another, 
all  owned  by  different  Protestant  denominations,  yet  all  of  them 
half  empty.    The  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Westiy  Peach,  of  Newark,  in  a 

116 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


"7 


minority  report  which  he  submitted  to  the  Interchurch  Council 
on  Organic  Union,  which  met  in  Philadelphia  in  1919,  stated  that 
Protestants  in  America  had  built  perhaps  100,000  superfluous 
churches  at  a  cost  of  $500,000,000.  "The  Roman  churches," 
he  says,  "are  aowded;  ours,  on  an  average,  less  than  one-quarter 

filled." 

From  "The  Passing  of  the  American,"  whose  author,  the  Rev. 
Munroe  Royce,  is  a  Protestant  clergyman,  I  cite  the  following: — 
"I  heard  the  Bishop  of  Montana,  a  short  time  ago,  speaking  as  the 
representative  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  say  that  the  rivalry  among 
the  different  Churches  in  his  diocese  was  most  disgraceful.  No 
sooner  is  a  new  town  started  in  that  State,  than  a  wild  rush  begins 
by  the  representatives  of  the  various  religious  bodies  to  secure  the 
most  desirable  corner  lots  for  church  sites.  Business  rivalry  is  not 
more  keen  than  this  Church  struggle  to  get  there  first.  The  Bishop 
spoke  of  two  little  towns  of  only  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  where 
there  were  actually  two  Methodist  Episcopal  churches, — one  north, 
the  other  south, — confronting  each  other  from  opposite  sides  of 
the  same  street,  when  one  of  these  churches  could  accommodate 
nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  place!  Of  course  there  were,  I 
suppose.  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Episcopal  and  others,  besides  these 
two  Methodist  ones."  The  story  is  told  of  a  visitor  to  one  of  these 
towns,  who,  greatly  impressed  by  the  number  of  church  edifices 
there,  exclaimed:— "How  very  religious  your  townspeople  are!" 
"Not  at  all,  stranger,"  was  the  reply,  "it  only  shows  how  cussed 
mean  they  be!" 

Many  Protestants,  of  course,  see  the  absurdity  of  such  sectari- 
anism, and  deeply  lament  it;  but  many  do  not.  Some  years  ago,  a 
real  estate  agent,  who  was  "booming"  a  western  town,  issued  a 
circular,  in  which  the  fact  was  mentioned,  as  an  inducement  to  settle 
there,  that  in  its  population  of  six  thousand  there  were  seventeen 
different  kinds  of  religion  to  choose  from!    That  agent  lacked  a  sense 

of  humour. 

A  Methodist  minister  reported  recently  that  he  had  discovered 
nine  different  Protestant  sects  in  a  town  of  Illinois,  containing  a 
population  of  only  eight  hundred  souls!  Another  declared  that  in 
the  same  State  he  had  found  in  seventeen  families  sixteen  different 
forms  of  religious  belief.  ("Christian  Unity,"  by  the  Rev.  M.  M. 
Sheedy,  1895,  p.  50.)  What  wonder  that  a  prominent  Protestant 
American  minister  recently  exclaimed:— "We  have  magnificent 
church  machinery  in  this  country;  we  have  costly  music  and  great 
Sunday-schools;  and  yet,  within  the  last  twenty-five  years,  the 
Churches  of  God  in  this  land  have  averaged  less  than  two  con- 
versions a  year  each!"  (idem,  p.  46).  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
speaker  of  these  words  did  not  include  among  the  "Churches  of 


ii8 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


This  statement  is  not  surprising,  when  we  consider  the  effect  that 
must  be  produced  by  the  sight  of  so  many  little  strugriW  ?„d 
frequently  hostile  denominations,  all  clai Jng  to   be  ChSians 
Such  a  spectacle  does  not  tend  to  make  thoughtful  p^ple  w  h  to 

t^?rl      1   ]  "  ?^'*^'    ''"'  •^"^  °°t  correspond  to  the  idea  of 
the  Church,  founded  and  outlined  by  our  Saviour 

It  is  religious  Individualism  run  mad 

.tinl  "  *''^*^"f  «ty  of  these  Protestant  divisions  is  unedifying 
still  more  so  is  the  quality  of  some  of  them.  For  in  their  numbe; 
one  discovers  those  extraordinary  specimens  of  the  result  of  "prSte 
^dgmenr  included  in  the  list  of  Protestant  sects  given  in  Cha^ 
IX  of  th  s  volume.  Many  Protestants,  it  is  true  regard  such 
varieUes  o  Christianity  as  the  Mormons,' the  Dowi"  J  Dunk^rSs 
and  Muggetonmns  with  disapproval  or 'abhorrence,  and  sar^ia 

Ll5°  T  ^  ^"^^"^  "P°"  ^'  "Protestants"  at  dl;  yet  ProZ 
fonts  they  really  are,  as  distinguished  from  Roman  Catholics  in  that 
they  all  pro  ess  to  believe  at  least  some  of  the  doctrines  o'fcS 

Protestantism  is  defined  in  the  "Standard  Dictionary"  as  a  term 
-generally  applied  to  and  accepted  by  all  Western  cLslns  wTo 
are  not  Roman  Catholics,  embracing  the  various  Lutheran  Reformed 
and  other  ecclesiastical  bodies,  though  it  is  discarded  by^om^^^^^^ 
Church  Anghcans."  That  some  of  these  "ecclesiastical  bS  do 
not  approve  of  others  is  nothing  new  in  Protestantism,  as  we  have 
seen  in  the  study  of  the  life  of  Luther,  but  no  one  c^n  deTy  thlt 
all  of  them  are  Protestant,  and  none  of  them  is  Catholic     Whatever 

not  to  Cathohcism,  for  they  are  the  direct  and  logical  consequence 

^'^^^^l^      ^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^  -^^  -^  ^^-^es,  based  o': 

Among  the  most  zealous  advocates  of  Protestantism  in  America 
IS  a  class  known  as  "Evangelists"  or  "Revivalists."  Thes^  find  u"^^ 
American  soil  a  fertile  field  for  their  operations.  The  most  cS 
spicuous  of  their  number  at  the  present  dme  is  a  formerLS^ 

Sh  DuS  c  nw   ^"Z^"^^\^^°^^t-nts  patronise  and  aid  financiaUy 

here  for  L?         ^'''  l^'  ""'  ^'  ^'  ^^"^^  '^^^  be  referred  tJ 
Here,  for  his  language  is  that  of  the  race-track  and  the  prize-rin^ 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


119 


and  his  blasphemous  irreverence  should  be  revolting  to  everyone 
who  desires  the  name  of  Christianity  to  be  respected.  That  he  draws 
crowds  to  listen  to  his  ribaldry  is  not  surprising,  but  any  "conver- 
sions" made  by  such  appeals  as  his  must  have  a  questionable 

value. 

In  the  centre  of  the  huge,  barrack-like  buildings,  which  are  reared 
for  his  auditoriums,  there  is  a  broad  aisle,  strewn  with  sawdust,  on 
which  his  "converts"  are  invited  to  present  themselves,  to  shake 
hands  with  the  speaker  at  the  conclusion  of  his  harangue.  This,  in 
the  parlance  of  Billy  Sunday,  is  called  "hitting  the  sawdust  trail"! 
Many  of  his  expressions,  like  those  of  Luther,  are  too  coarse  and 
indecent  to  be  quoted,  but  some  idea  of  his  vulgarity  can  be  gained 
from  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his  sermons.  He  thus 
describes  the  chosen  friends  of  the  Saviour  of  mankina  at  Bethany:— 
"Mary  was  one  of  those  sort  pf  Uneeda-biscuit,  peanut-butter,  gelatin- 
and-pimiento  women.  Martha  was  a  beefsteak,  baked-potato,  apple- 
sauce-with-lemon-and-nutmeg,  coffee-and-whipped-cream,  apple-pie- 
and-cheese  sort  of  a  woman!  So  you  can  have  your  pick,  but  I 
speak  for  Martha.    Hurrah  for  Martha!"     (Literary  Digest,  April, 

24,  1915)* 

This  is  his  way  of  speaking  when  in  good  humour;  but  when 
enraged  by  opposition,  his  language  is  almost  unprintable.  One  of 
the  most  respectable  Congregational  clergymen  in  America  is  Rev. 
Washington  Gladden,  a  gentleman  of  learning,  reputation  and 
advanced  years.  To  this  gentleman,  who  had  criticised  some  of 
Sunday's  utterances  about  "Evolution,"  the  revivalist  yelled,  while 
he  at  the  same  time  shook  his  fist  in  his  face,— "Stand  up,  you 
bastard  evolutionist!  Stand  up  with  the  infidels  and  atheists,  the 
whoremongers  and  adulterers,  and  go  to  hell!  Stand  up  on  your 
hind-legs,  you  stinking  polecat!"  In  regard  to  this  treatment  Mr. 
Gladden  remarks:— "One  must  not  think  that  these  vulgar  words 
were  uttered  in  a  corner;  they  were  heard  by  an  audience  numbering 
many  thousands.  The  evangelists  who  use  such  language  carry  with 
them,  unfortunately,  from  city  to  city  the  unqualified  recommenda- 
tion of  a  number  of  Protestant  ministers/  It  is  a  phase  of  modern 
religious  life  that  deserves  the  serious  consideration  of  intelligent 

Christians." 

It  certainly  does  deserve  their  consideration,  if  Protestant  min- 
isters and  the  members  of  their  churches  do  openly  approve  of  such 
disgraceful  travesties  of  Bible  characters,  such  virulent  abuse,  and 
such  low  ridicule  of  sacred  themes.  Well-nigh  incomprehensible, 
therefore,  is  the  fact  that  this  man  was  allowed  to  speak,— pre- 
sumably by  invitation,— at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  on  March 
30,  19 1 4,  in  presence  of  the  Professors  and  some  four  thousand 
students.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks  before  this  supposedly  edu- 
cated assembly,  he  described  Pontius  Pilate  as  a  "stand-pat,  free- 


I20 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


lunch,  pie-counter,  lick-spittle,  tin-horn,  nut-cracker  politician"! 
What  must  be  the  effect  of  such  gutter  dialect  as  this  on  youthful 
students?  Can  it  leave  in  their  minds,— especially  in  this  age  of 
irreverence,— the  slightest  veneration  for  the  Gospel  of  Christ?  How 
is  it  possible  that  Christian  people  do  not  see  that  such  performances 
as  these  degrade  the  Protestant  Church  and  even  religion  itself? 
How  deplorable  must  the  condition  of  some  Protestant  Churches 
m  America  be,  when  advocates  like  Billy  Sunday  have  to  be  re- 
sorted to,  to  keep  them  from  dissolving! 

Such  mournful  eccentricities  as  these  in  the  Christian  life  betray 
a  state  of  spiritual  desolation.  A  Church  replete  with  Christian  faith 
and  true  religious  zeal  would  never  tolerate  them.  Certainly  such 
a  man  would  never  be  allowed  to  speak  in  a  Catholic  Church  or 
anywhere  else  under  Catholic  auspices.  What  shocks  one  most  in 
the  performance  of  Billy  Sunday  is  not  alone  the  irreverence  which 
he  himself  exhibits,  but  the  lack  of  reverence  for  sacred  things 
existing  m  the  crowds  who  flock  to  hear  him. 

Perhaps  it  is  this  which  causes  many  Protestants  to  use  their 
churches  for  secular  purposes  on  other  days  than  Sundays.  This  is 
not  true  of  Episcopalian  churches,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  nor  is  it  by 
any  means  a  universal  custom  among  other  Protestant  denominations. 
Nevertheless,  it  is  a  fact  that  a  very  large  number  of  Baptist, 
Methodist,  and  Congregational  church  edifices  in  America  are  used 
on  weekdays  as  places  of  entertainment;  for,  in  order  to  raise  money 
for  their  expenses,  churches  are  frequently  leased  for  concerts 
lectures,  stereopticon  exhibitions,  "bell-ringers"  and  travelling  com' 
panics.  The  first  play  ever  witnessed  by  my  wife  was  given  by  a 
strolhng  troop  of  actors  in  a  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
an  improvised  stage  had  been  erected  where  the  pulpit  usually 

This  play  was  called  "Taming  a  Tartar"!     What  sentiment  of 
Holiness  to  the  Lord"  could  survive  such  a  desecration?     True 
we  are  told,  as  an  excuse,  that  these  religious  societies  must  adopt 
business  methods"  in  order  to  exist;  and  no  doubt  life  is  hard 
for  them,  as  separate  entities,  when  competition  is  so  fierce,  and 
congregations  are  so  small;  but  it  is  questionable  whether  they  do 
not  lose  thus  more  than  they  gain. 
I     It  is  characteristic  of  most  Protestant  churches  in  America  (as 
f  everywhere  else  in  the  worid),  that  they  are  open  only  for  an  hour 
^  or  two  on  Sundays,  and  once  a  week  for  an  hour  in  the  evening, 
^  whereas  Catholic  churches  remain  open  all  day  long  and  every  day. 
^  so  that  one  may  enter  them  at  any  time,  if  not  to  attend  some  service, 
^  at  least  to  pray.     But  Protestant  exclusiveness  is  not  confined  to 
nours  of  worship. 

To  every  observer  it  is  evident  tiiat  most  of  Uiose  who  assemble 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


121 


in  the  prominent  Protestant  churches  of  American  cities  are  well 
dressed,  prosperous  members  of  the  community.  Poor,  plainly  clad 
people  are  less  often  seen  there.  It  is  not  likely  that  such  people 
would  be  turned  away,  should  they  present  themselves,  but  they 
would  probably  receive  the  impression  that  their  proper  place  was 
in  the  mission  chapel,  where  they  would  "feel  more  at  home,  don't 
you  know."  It  is  possible  that  humble  working  people  would  be 
admitted  to  the  pews  of  a  few  of  the  wealthy  churchgoers,  but  any 
such  equality  before  God,  as  is  continually  seen  in  Catholic  churches, 
is  never  observed  in  Protestant  congregations. 

It  is  also  evident  that  in  America  the  great  majority  of  worshippers 
in  Catholic  churches  are  from  the  poorer  classes.  This  fact  reminds 
me  of  a  story,  told  me  by  a  dear  Catholic  friend.  Once,  when  a 
young  girl,  she  was  visiting  at  a  palatial  residence  on  the  Hudson, 
and  asked  her  hostess  where  she  could  find  a  Catholic  church  in  the 
neighbourhood.  "There  is  a  wretched  little  Catholic  chapel  three 
miles  away,"  was  her  reply;  "but  you  can't  go  there.  Only  poor 
Irish  servants  and  Italians  attend  service  there."  "Well,"  answered 
my  friend  with  spirit,  "that  is  where  I  shall  go;  for  the  religion 
I  belong  to  began  in  a  stable,  and  I  don't  care  if  it  ends  in  a  stable!" 
I  have  been  told  that  this  reply  of  the  ardent  young  Catholic  was 
never  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it.  In  fact,  is  it  not  amazing 
that  any  genuine  Christian  can  condemn  a  Church  for  being  the  one 
great  Christian  body  that  welcomes  and  retains  the  poor!  To  do  so 
is  to  show  a  spiritual  snobbishness,  surpassing  that  of  the  Pharisees. 

How  perfectly  does  the  admonition  of  St.  James  apply  to  such  a 
case: — ^"My  brethren,  have  not  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Lord  of  glory,  with  respect  of  persons.  For  if  there  come  unto 
your  assembly  a  man  with  a  gold  ring,  in  goodly  apparel,  and  there 
come  in  also  a  poor  man  in  vile  raiment,  and  ye  have  respect  to  him 
that  weareth  the  gay  clothing,  and  say  unto  him.  Sit  thou  here  in 
a  good  place;  and  say  to  the  poor.  Stand  thou  there,  or  sit  here 
under  my  footstool;  are  ye  not  then  partial  in  yourselves,  and  are 
become  judges  of  evil  thoughts?  Hearken,  my  beloved  brethren, 
hath  not  God  chosen  the  poor  of  this  worid  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs 
of  the  kingdom,  which  He  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  Hun? 
But  ye  have  despised  the  poor." 

In  Catholic  churches  rich  and  poor,  poet  and  peasant,  kneel, 
worship  and  partake  of  Holy  Communion  together,  side  by  side, 
without  distinction.  Before  their  altars  all  are  equal.  The  Catholic 
Church  is,  in  fact,  pre-eminently  the  Church  of  the  poor,  and  thus 
fulfils  one  of  the  principal  conditions  laid  down  by  our  Saviour,  to 
convince  St.  John  the  Baptist  of  His  Messiahship:— "The  poor  have 
the  Gospel  preached  to  them." 

But  is  not  the  United  States  the  vaunted  paradise  of  democracy? 


122 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


i) 


iff 


the  reader  may  inquire.  In  theory  certainly,  but  not  in  practice, 
at  least  in  many  departments  of  the  nation's  life.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  in  American  towns,  populous  enough  to  have  any  social  dis- 
tinctions, Protestant  churches  are  too  often  social  institutions  with 
religious  names,  whose  members  are  to  a  great  extent  composed  of 
the  rich  and  ^'respectable"  people  of  the  place. 

The  relative  grades  of  social  "standing"  of  the  different  denomi- 
nations, and  even  of  particular  churches  in  the  same  denomination, 
are  carefully  defined  and  keenly  felt;  and  so  well  is  this  understood, 
that  persons  coming  to  reside  there  frequently  choose  their  special 
sect  of  Protestantism,  and  even  a  particular  church  within  that  sect, 
with  a  view  to  the  social  advantages  to  be  gained  from  them.  Hence 
the  most  serious  accusation  against  American  Protestant  churches  in 
general  is  that  their  distinguishing  features  are  social  rather  than 
religious.  The  beauty  of  the  edifice,  the  quality  of  the  music,  the 
eloquence  of  the  preacher  and  his  personal  popularity,  together  with 
the  social  and  financial  prominence  of  the  members, — these  are  the 
principal  causes  that  determine  their  sectarian  success.  If  one  asks 
an  American  whether  he  is  a  Methodist,  a  Baptist,  or  a  Presbyterian, 
he  will  probably  answer  (unless  he  be  a  regular  communicant  in 
"good  and  regular  standing"), — "I  attend  Rev.  Mr.  Smith's  church," 
or  "I  go  to  hear  Mr.  Brown."  In  other  words,  the  personality  of 
the  preacher  is  the  paramount  factor. 

To  gain  and  to  retain  the  needed  popularity  is,  therefore,  a 
matter  of  great  importance  to  a  Protestant  minister.  Of  course  the 
poorer  pastors,  settled  in  the  country,  know  little  of  these  condi- 
tions. They  struggle  on  amid  a  number  of  contending  sects,  as 
poverty-stricken  as  their  own,  and  often  have  great  difficulty  in 
feeding,  clothing  and  properly  educating  their  children.  If  the 
statements  quoted  on  the  title-page  of  this  chapter  are  true, — ^and 
I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  them, — the  average  Protestant  minister 
in  the  United  States  must  possess  much  devotion  and  self-denial,  for 
most  of  them  are  married  men  with  families.  But  what  kind  of 
appreciation  of  the  Protestant  clerical  profession  and  of  its  value 
to  the  community  do  such  meagre  salaries  show? 

In  the  larger  towns  exalted  positions  and  high  salaries  are  given 
to  exceptionally  gifted  preachers  and  social  favourites,  but  their 
incomes  must  be  well  earned.  The  lives  of  popular  city  clergymen 
are  often  a  kind  of  social  slavery.  In  the  majority  of  cases  such 
ministers  are  dependent  for  their  office  on  the  good  will  of  wealthy 
and  influential  parishioners,  who  often  are  not  actual  members  of 
the  church,  yet  virtually  control  its  policy.  Hence  they  not  only 
fear  to  preach  as  boldly  as  they  otherwise  would  do,  but  have  to 
toil  like  galley  slaves  in  making  themselves  popular  with  their 
congregations;  for,  whatever  else  a  Protestant  minister  in  America 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


123 


may  be,  he  must  be  a  social  favourite,  in  order  to  become  a  ^'success." 
The  keen  competition  between  rival  denominations  makes  it,  in  fact, 
essential  that  their  ministers  should  be  "up  to  date."  One  way 
of  acquiring  this  popularity  consists  in  making  numberless  social 
calls,  which  leave  the  minister  little  time  for  study,  reading  and 
the  cultivation  of  spirituality.  I  have  known  clergymen  and  their 
wives  who,  for  months  at  a  time,  never  had  a  single  evenmg  at 
home  I  They  were  continually  making  calls.  If  such  visits  were  of 
any  spiritual  benefit  to  the  parishioners,  or  indeed  had  anything  to 
do  with  religion,  the  practice  would  be  praiseworthy;  but  they  are 
almost  invariably  of  a  social  character  only,  and  cultivate  m  those 
who  make  them  little  else  than  superficiality  of  conversation  and 
woridliness  of  manners,  which  weaken  genuine  respect  for  the  clerical 
vocation.  I  have  known  ministers  who  felt  obliged  to  keep  a  list  of 
the  birthdays  of  the  prominent  members  of  their  flock,  that  they 
might  never  forget  to  send  or  bring  to  them  flowers  or  other  gifts 

on  those  occasions  1  .  . 

The  truth  is  that  prosperous,  well-paid  Protestant  ministers  have 
become,  like  similariy  situated  Anglican  clergymen,  men  of  society. 
As  married  men,  mingling  in  social  functions,  they  find  it  difficult 
to  lead  a  sober.  Christian,  spiritual  life,  particularly  if  they  have 
extravagant,  woridly  sons  and  pretty  daughters,  who  must  "go  into 
society."  A  certain  standard  of  dressing  is  then  demanded  for  both 
mother  and  daughters,  and  the  preoccupation  necessary  for  the 
preparation  of  their  toilettes,  together  with  the  inevitable  conversa- 
tions and  "table-talk"  upon  such  subjects,  morning,  noon  and 
night,  including  discussions  about  the  prices  of  gowns  and  hats, 
and  the  permissible  line  of  the  corsage,— have  a  disastrous  effect 
upon  the  religious  life  of  the  paterfamilias,  if  not  on  that  of  the 
entire  household.  Hence  woridly  standards  and  methods  of  hfe  are 
inevitably  more  and  more  adopted  by  them.  Even  the  kind  of 
recompense  given  for  faithful  church  work  is  affected  by  this  state 

of  things.  .    xt-    TT  •*  J 

To  my  personal  knowledge  the  wife  of  a  clergyman  in  the  United 
States  has  long  been  in  the  habit  of  giving  her  Sunday-school  class 
and  members  of  the  choir  a  treat,  by  taking  them  in  a  body  once  or 
twice  a  year  to  the  theatre  or  opera.  Should  someone  ask  who  those 
finely  dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen  are,  who  are  seated  together  at 
some  popular  play,  he  may  be  told  that  they  are  the  '  Church  of 
St.  Blank's  theatre  party"!  I  am  far  from  condemning  the  hearing 
of  good  operas  and  decent  dramas,  but  I  recognise  the  existence  of  a 
subtle,  indefinable  law  of  the  fitness  of  things;  and  there  is  something 
sadly  incongruous  in  the  fact  that  such  means  are  resorted  to  m  order 
to  attract  young  people  to  the  church  and  to  reward  them  for  at- 
tendance.     Something  is  wrong  here,  but  whether  the  fault  hes 


u,^...,..!.'  : 


124 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


:j 


chiefly  with  the  Protestant  churches  themselves,  or  with  the  clergy, 
or  with  the  parents,  is  beyond  my  power  to  decide. 

Still  more  objectionable  are  the  sensational  and  frequently  vulgar 
announcements,  made  on  Saturday  in  American  newspapers,  of 
the  special  attractions  offered  on  the  following  day  in  Protestant 
churches.  These  form  a  mournful  commentary  on  the  condition  of 
those  churches,  if  they  are  obliged  to  use  such  methods  to  allure 
the  public.  I  quote  the  following  notices,  taken  qxiite  at  random 
from  a  Boston  newspaper: — 

Dudley  Street  Baptist  Church:  Rev.  George  R.  Stair,  pastor. 
Rev.  George  H.  Thompson,  the  Harp  Evangelist,  will  preach.  10.30, 
"Railroading  to  the  Devil's  Vineyard";  7.30,  "Why  I  Changed  from 
Ballroom  Harpist  to  the  Ministry."  Harvard  male  quartet  Sunday- 
school,  12  m. 

Tremont  Temple  Baptist  Church:  The  largest  church  in  New 
England.  "Strangers'  Sabbath  Home."  Pastor,  Dr.  Cortknd  Myers; 
music  by  Lotus  male  quartet ;  Mrs.  Lamson,  soprano ;  Mr.  Fairbanks, 
organist;  Temple  chorus.  Morning  subject,  "The  Devil's  Poison  for 
Our  Religious  Life  and  Its  Antidote";  the  second  sermon  in  the  series 
of  "Love  Stories  of  the  Bible  in  the  Matrimonial  Wreckage  of  Bos- 
ton" will  be  given  in  the  evening;  subject,  "Isaac  and  Rebecca — ^The 
Most  Romantic  Meeting  and  Engagement  of  Them  All.  'Before  and 
After'  in  Marriage  at  Once  the  Greatest  Comedy  and  Tragedy." 
Doors  open  at  10.00  and  6.30;  Bible  school  at  12. 

Chapel  OF  the  Vedanta  Centre,  i,  Queensberry  Street,  Fenway. 
Service  with  address  by  Sister  Devamata,  Sunday,  11  a.m.  Subject, 
"Practical  Value  of  Yoga." 

Warren  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  corner  West  Canton  Street. 
Herbert  S.  Johnson,  D.D.,  and  Rev.  Frank  B.  Haggard,  pastors.  Pas- 
tor Haggard  preaches  at  10.30,  subject,  "Love  First  and  First  Love" ; 
7.30,  subject,  "For  Such  a  Worm  as  I";  mixed  quartet,  a.m.;  chorus 
choir,  p.m.;  Mr.  Erskine  A.  Gay,  director.    Welcome  to  all. 

Baptist  Church  in  Brookline,  1375,  Beacon  Street.  Rev.  Walter 
M.  Walker,  D.D.,  acting  pastor.  10.45,  "Over  the  Wall";  12:10,  Bible 
school,  men's  Bible  class,  Mr.  William  E.  Perry,  teacher;  7.30,  chapel 
service,  "Grit  and  Glue."    You  are  invited. 

Fenway  Theatre:  Services  of  the  Universalist  Church  of  Boston. 
Morning  worship,  10.45.  Dr.  Roblin's  theme,  "Jesus  and  the  People's 
Plaudits,"  the  fourth  of  a  series  of  sermons  on  the  "Life  of  Christ." 
Musical  selections  from  "The  Seven  Last  Words,"  by  Dubois;  the 
choir  will  be  assisted  by  Mr.  Daniel  Kuntz,  violinist ;  prelude,  "Arioso," 
by  Bach,  violin  and  organ  soprano  solo,  "All  Ye  Who  Travel" ;  bass 
solo  and  chorus,  "Father,  Forgive  Them";  tenor  and  bass  duet  and 
chorus.  "Verily  To-day  Thou  Shalt  Be  with  Me  in  Paradise" ;  "An- 
dante," by  Giraud,  violin  solo;  tenor  solo  and  chorus,  "Father,  Into 
Thy  Hands  I  Commend  My  Spirit";  "It  Is  Finished."  Afternoon,  at 
3.30,  community  singing  of  international  songs,  with  pictures,  short 
addresses  by  Dr.  Roblin  and  Jan  Hornicek,  Instructor  of  Romance 
Languages  at  Dartmouth  College;  choir  selection,  soprano  and  also 
duet,  "Recordare,"  from  Verdi's  "Requiem." 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


125 


I  quote  the  following  also  from  America  (a  Catholic  weekly  in 
New  York),  published  on  January  17,  1920,  p.  287:— 

'^Pictures  with  a  moral  punch,"  that  is  the  description  of  his  new 
"ninvfe  servile"  dv^^  by  ?he  pastor  of  the  First  Unitarian  Church, 
LSil  e  Ky  the  Rev  Mr.  Akin.  It  is  the  latest  device  to  fill  the 
li^pty  pews  o^^^^  Churches.    Members  of  his  congregation 

rSedThat  the  average  attendance  for  the  "fifteen  leadmg  churches 
Tf  Louisville  was  less  than  seventy.  Catholic  churches  were  clearly 
not  cr  dered,  since  their  normal  problem  is  to  find  space  for  all  those 
who  come  to  worship.  To  attract  ;;f ully.600  P-sons''  Mr.^^^^^^^^  adver- 
tised a  free  moving-picture  show,  "Passmg  of  the  Third  Floor  Back, 
n  six  reels,  with  the  famous  actor,  Forbes-Robertson,  m  the  ste  lar 
r61e  Services  began  with  the  singing  of  the  "Long,  Long  Trail,"  after 
wM^h  the  w^me^^^^^^  and  the  men  Ipplauded,  and  then  the  men  sang 
Tud  the  w^en  applauded.  With  this  beautiful  harmony  and  mutual 
admiratir^stablished,  "the  substitution  of  a  picture  sermon  for  a 
spTkenTermon"  began!  In  the  full  flush  of  his  first  success  the  ^^^^^ 
Mr.  Akin  advises  all  pastors  to  follow  his  example.  A  far  simp  er 
method  might  be  suggested,  and  that  is  to  rent  a  moving-pic^^^^^^^^  theatre 
and  put  up  the  sign :  "Everybody  Welcome,  Everything  Free.  1  here 
will  then  be  no  longer  any  need  of  erecting  churches. 

Still  more  unedifying  are  the  announcements  of  a  "popular" 
Protestant  minister  in  Brooklyn,  as  quoted  by  the  above  paper  in 
its  issue  of  February  14,  1920,  p.  377-  The  titles  of  this  preacher  s 
sermons  for  the  month  of  January,  ^920,  were:-  Wild  Horses 
(Swanee  River  Quartet) ;  "The  Lion  Tamer"  (Joseph  Martell,  ban- 
tone)  ;  "The  Snake  Charmer"  (Evangel  Trumpeters'  Quartet) ;  and 
"Pigs  is  Pigs"  (Evangel  Trumpeters'  Quartet). 

To  one  who  has  the  least  conception  of  the  dignity  and  holiness 
of  Christ's  Church,  such  cheap,  sensational  methods  of  attraction 
are  nauseating.  In  striking  contrast  to  all  this,  the  Catholic  Church 
strong  in  her  unity  of  faith  and  in  her  splendid  discipline,  is  not 
compelled  to  degrade  herself  by  these  means,  any  more  than  to  dis- 
honour her  sanctuaries  by  letting  them  for  popular  amusements 

during  the  week.  .  4.    ^  j 

She  has  a  hold  upon  the  people,  which  Protestantism  does  not  and 
cannot  have,  for  among  the  latter's  countless  sects  the  ng^d  disci- 
pline unity  of  faith  and  ultimate  authority  of  the  Catholic  Church 
are  wanting.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  when  one  thinks  of  the 
self-denial  which  that  Church  demands  of  her  members.  What 
would  most  Protestants  say,  if  they  were  required  to  attend  Divine 
service  every  Sunday  and  Holy  Day,  and  if  this  rule  compelled 
them  sometimes  to  go  to  church  at  five,  six,  or  seven  o'clock  of  a 
winter  morning?  All  Catholics  do  not  do  this,  it  is  true,  but  literally 
milUons  of  them  do,  and  even  regard  it  as  no  hardship.  Theu:  senti- 
ment  is  expressed  in  the  lines: — 


1 


126 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


'The  night  is  past,  the  dawn  is  breaking, 
I  rise,  dear  Lord,  to  go  to  Thee, 
My  slothful  ease  with  joy  forsaking 
For  what  Thy  love  prepares  for  me. 

"Swift  through  the  starlit,  sleeping  city 

I  hasten  to  the  House  of  Prayer; 
Dear  friends,  regard  me  not  with  pity, — 
The  Bread  of  Life  awaits  me  there. 

"A  hunger  for  that  Bread  impels  me, 

A  craving  for  celestial  food, 
A  whisper  in  my  soul,  that  tells  me 
To  seek  and  find  the  Son  of  God." 

These  are  no  careless  statements.  I  have  frequently  tested  their 
accuracy,  and  have  repeatedly  seen  priests  and  communicants  going 
faithfully  through  cold,  storm,  and  darkness  at  those  early  hours. 
In  the  small  European  city  where  I  lived  for  years,  Masses  are 
said  in  many  churches  every  half-hour  on  Sunday  from  five  o'clock 
in  the  morning  to  half-past  eight.  Then  follows  High  Mass  in  the 
principal  church  at  nine,  and  there  is  a  concluding  Mass  at  ten. 
During  the  week  also  Masses  begin  every  day  equally  early,  but 
are  not  so  numerous.  The  most  remarkable  thing  about  these 
services  is  the  fact  that  even  the  very  earliest  are  well  attended,  and 
most  of  the  others  crowded.  Nor  is  this  state  of  things  peculiar  to 
that  community.  It  is  practically  universal.  I  know  a  priest  who, 
in  a  large  city,  says  Mass  every  morning  at  half-past  five,  and  he  tells 
me  that  he  always  has,  both  on  Sundays  and  week-days,  a  large  at- 
tendance, consisting  chiefly  of  working  men  and  mothers  of  families, 
seeking  God's  blessing  before  going  to  their  daily  toil. 

It  is  certainly  easier,  in  America,  as  everywhere  else,  to  be  a 
Protestant  than  a  Catholic,  sup^sing  both  are  sincere  and  desirous 
of  doing  their  duty.  A  Protestant  keeps  his  spiritual  books  without 
an  auditor.  He  can  attend  church  or  not,  much  as  he  pleases,  so  far 
as  any  reprimand  from  his  minister  is  concerned;  he  may  hold  ex- 
tremely rationalistic  views,  need  not  go  to  Holy  Communion,  and  is 
Inot  obliged  to  make  any  individual  confession,  to  which  humiliation 
land  penance  are  attached.  So  long  as  Protestants  preserve  an  out- 
ward form  of  unity,  and  make  good  contributions  to  the  church's 
treasury,  few  questions  will  be  ever  addressed  to  them  in  reference  to 
faith,  still  fewer  in  regard  to  morals.  The  subject  of  religion  is,  as  a 
rule,  ignored  in  conversations  between  Protestant  pastors  and 
parishioners,  and  the  latter  might  well  conclude  that  their  minister 
cared  very  little  about  their  spiritual  condition;  for  when  does  he 
ever  question  them,  unasked,  upon  such  subjects? 

In  the  Catholic  Church,  however,  there  are  very  solemn  checks 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


127 


•MHM 


and  balances  in  the  accounts  of  all.  The  Mass,  Confession,  Pen- 
ance, Holy  Communion,— these  are  awful  Sacraments,  involving 
duties  the  neglect  of  which  m  the  Catholic  Church  leads  to  momen- 
tous consequences,  and  by  these  solemn  Sacraments  she  holds  the 
members  of  her  fold  as  no  other  Church  can  do. 

In  view  of  all  these  considerations,  I  think  that  an  unprejudiced 
observer  must  conclude  that  united  Catholicism,  with  its  devoted 
celibate  clergy,  is  better  able  to  stimulate  and  retain  the  religious 
life  of  the  people,  than  disintegrated  Protestantism,  with  its  married, 
and  therefore  more  or  less  socially  fettered,  ministers.     Certainly 
Catholic  priests,  who  are  free  from  all  domestic  ties,  can  devote 
themselves  unreservedly  to  their  duties,  wherever  these  may  lead 
them,  as  Protestant  ministers  cannot  do.    Not  only  are  the  former 
unhampered  by  the  claims  of  a  social  life,  which  often  cool  a  pastor's 
fervour  with  the  chill  of  worldliness,  but  they  are  not  restrained  from 
duty  through  the  fear  of  bringing  contagion  to  their  families,  should 
they  expose  themselves  to  malignant  diseases,  as  Catholic  priests 
invariably  do,  when  cholera,  yellow  fever,  or  other  pestilences  deso- 
late the  land.    What  an  appalling  storm  of  protest  and  entreaty 
would  be  raised  by  the  wife  and  daughters  of  a  Protestant  minister, 
should  he  propose  to  run  the  risks  which  every  Catholic  priest  as- 
sumes as  a  matter  of  course! 

As  time  went  on,  therefore,  and  I  observed  the  doors  of  Protestant 
churches  closed  on  weekdays  and  the  greater  part  of  Sunday  also, 
yet  found  the  Catholic  churches  always  open,  and  services  going 
on,  or  confessions  being  heard,  or  individual  worshippers  kneeling 
in  devotion,  at  every  hour  of  the  day;  when  I  further  perceived  how 
many  burdened  souls  were  always  seeking  aid  or  consolation  at  their 
hallowed  shrines;  and  in  particular  when  I  assisted  at  the  solemn 
celebration  of  the  Mass,  whose  wonderful  old  prayers  have  accom- 
panied it  down  the  ages,  a  thousand  years  before  a  Protestant  was 
born,— I  realised  more  and  more  the  enormous  difference  between  the 

two  confessions. 

"But,"  it  may  be  objected,  "Protestants  have  once  a  week  a 
sermon,' and  that  is  sufficient  for  them."  Is  it?  I  have  known  many 
Protestants  whom  the  sermon  alone  did  not  satisfy,  and  who  were 
painfully  aware  that,  while  Catholics  regard  their  churches  primarily 
as  sanctuaries  for  prayer  and  worship,  Protestants  often  look  on 
theirs  chiefly  as  places  for  pulpit  oratory  and  pleasing  music.  Serious 
Protestants  are,  therefore,  frequently  conscious  of  a  spiritual  hunger 
that  is  not  appeased  by  a  "good  sermon,"  however  eloquent  it  may 
be.  They  are  also  haunted  by  the  thought  that  the  reason  why 
the  principal  feature  of  their  service  has  thus  become  the  sermon, 
is  that,— through  their  rejection  of  the  Mass,— the  role  of  Protestant 
ministers  has  been  reduced  from  that  of  priests  to  that  of  preachers. 


128 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


\ 


\ 


In  any  case,  hearing  sermons  about  God  is  a  very  different  thing 
from  praying  to  Him  and  adoring  Him,  The  latter  is  what  God  re- 
quires from  His  children;  the  former  is  what  man  prefers  to  do,  as 
something  easier  and  more  agreeable. 

Anglican  and  Episcopalian  Protestants,  it  is  true,  give  less  im- 
portance to  the  sermon  than  do  Non-Conformists;  for,  having  bor- 
rowed almost  wholly  from  the  Catholic  Missal,  the  former  have 
composed  a  liturgy,  which  is,— so  far  as  it  goes,— a  noble  vehicle 
of  devotional  expression.* 

With  Non-Conformists,  however,  who  possess  little  or  no  liturgy, 
the  sermon  is  the  all-important  factor;  although  too  often,  being 
more  of  an  ethical  or  literary  production  than  a  spiritual  appeal,  it 
is  of  little  value  as  an  aid  to  religion.  Non-Conformist  services  are, 
of  course,  characterised  by  prayers,  but  these  are  individually 
improvised  efforts,  which  do  not  seem  to  represent  the  sentiments 
and  aspirations  of  the  auditors,  since  they  elicit  from  them  no 
responses.  They  have  the  appearance  rather  of  detached,  personal 
performances  on  the  part  of  the  minister,  who  stands  while  praying, 
during  which  time  the  members  of  the  congregation  also  do  not 
kneel,  and  sometimes  do  not  even  close  their  eyes.  Moreover,  such  is 
the  liberty  of  speech  accorded  to  every  Non-Conformist  minister, 
that  his  public  prayers  frequently  resemble  orations,  or  political 
addresses,  in  which  he  seems,  not  to  be  speaking  to  Almighty  God, 
but  to  be  trying  to  impress  his  more  or  less  critical  and  indifferent 
audience.  Such  prayers  are  often  reproduced  in  print  as  having 
literary  or  political  significance! 

In  Catholic  churches,  on  the  contrary,  the  stately  prayers  and 
collects  of  its  ancient  liturgy  are  usually  closely  followed  by  the 
worshippers  in  their  prayer-books;  and  in  the  Litanies  and  Rosary 
the  responses  are  fervently  made.  By  Catholics  the  sermon  is 
regarded  as  of  vastly  less  importance  than  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass, 
in  which  the  morning  service  always  centres.  Then,  though  there 
should  not  be  within  the  church,  besides  the  officiating  priest,  one 

*Most  of  the  beautiful  words  used  in  the  Anglican  and  Episcopalian 
prayers  and  collects  are  merely  translations  or  adaptations  from  the  Missal 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  Thus  in  the  Anglican  service  the  Psalm  "O  come, 
let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord"  is  the  opening  psalm  in  the  Catholic  Matins,— 
the  Venite  adoremus.  The  Psalms  appointed  by  the  Anglicans  for  every  day 
m  the  year,  as  well  as  the  Lessons,  correspond  almost  exactly  to  those  in  the 
Breviary,  read  by  every  Catholic  priest  daily.  The  noble  Te  Deum,—"We 
praise  Thee,  O  God,"  comes  from  the  earliest  Catholic  offices ;  and  the  "O 
be  joyfur  is  the  Jubilate  of  the  Breviary.  The  Apostles'  Creed  and  Nicene 
Creed  are,  of  course,  of  Catholic  origin ;  and  the  "Lord  be  with  you,  and 
with  thy  spirit"  is  the  literal  translation  of  the  Dominus  vobiscum  et  cum 
spintu  tuo  of  the  Mass.  Most  of  the  Anglican  collects  and  prayers  are  also 
simple  English  versions  of  the  Catholic  Latin;  while  "Glory  to  God  in  the 
highest"  is,  of  course,  an  English  rendering  of  the  time-honoured  Gloria  in 
txcelsxs  of  the  Mother  Church. 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  AMERICA 


129 


solitary  person,— a  most  improbable  occurrence,— the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  would  still  be  celebrated  just  the  same.  The  blessing  is  for 
those  who  join  in  its  intention;  the  loss  is  for  the  absent. 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  more  effectively  than  by  quoting  here 
the  words  of  the  late  Dr.  Crosby  of  New  York,  a  Protestant  who 
understood  his  country  and  its  characteristics  as  well  as  any  man 
of  his  time.  He  says:— "The  great  bulk  of  the  Protestant  Church 
is  identified  with  the  world.  It  has  a  name  to  live,  while  it  is  dead. 
It  has  turned  its  doctrines  into  nationalism,  or  rationalism,  and  its 
life  into  selfishness.  The  old  landmarks  are  gone.  Family  prayer 
is  given  up.  Prayer  meetings  are  ignored,  worldly  partnerships  are 
formed,  social  sins  are  connived  at  and  even  excused,  the  pulpit  is 
made  a  stage  on  which  to  strut  and  pose  before  a  gaping  world,  and 
religion  is  made  one  of  the  instruments  of  fashion." 

Notes.— (i)  A  recent  report  of  the  Federal  Council  of  Churches  in  the 
United  States  declares :  "The  Roman  Catholics  still  have  more  priests  than 
churches,  but  in  the  Protestant  churches  there  are  about  forty  per  cent,  more 
parishes  than  there  are  ministers  to  serve  them.  In  the  south,  for  example, 
there  are  said  to  be  three  thousand  Baptist  Churches  with  no  pastor.  In  the 
same  section  there  are  eighteen  hundred  Methodist  churches  with  no 
preachers,  and  about  one  thousand  Episcopal  and  one  thousand  Presbyterian 
churches  in  a  like  condition."  •     a        •         1, 

The  report  further  states  that  the  number  of  young  men  in  America  who 
enter  theological  seminaries  with  the  intention  of  becoming  ministers  has 
greatly  decreased.    Referring  to  this,  America,  in  its  issue  of  January  »,  1921, 

"There  are  forty  thousand  Protestant  churches  without  pastors.  .  .  .  What 
is  the  matter?  This  is  the  question  asked.  To  a  Catholic  the  answer  is 
clear.  Protestantism  is  no  longer  a  religion,  but  a  nebulous  form  of  sociol- 
ogy that  shifts  with  the  wind  of  popular  opinion.  But  young  Americans  are 
not  sufficiently  interested  in  such  a  cult  to  give  their  lives  for  its  preserva- 
tion  and  advancement." 

(2)  Statements  rather  uncomplimentary  to  American  Protestants,  but 
taken  out  of  their  own  mouths,  have  recently  been  printed  in  the  ^fj^atotw 
Digest,    Thus  Dr.  S.  Parkes  Cadman  is  quoted  as  writing  in  the  Western 

^'^Thfcifurch'of'Rome  takes  care  of  its  priorities.    We  throw  them  away 
to  the  winds,  and  where  are  we?    For  example,  m  New  York  to-day  there 
are  a  million  so-called  Protestants.    They  are  pot  even  decent  Pf  ga»is.    They 
go  nowhere  to  church  and  make  no  contribution  to  any  part  of  the  church 
They  come  into  New  York  from  every  part  of  this  country  and  if  they  had 
church  letters  they  are  never  presented.     On  Sundays  the  sons  of  class 
leaders  and  deacons  and  elders  are  among  the  automobile  riders,  and  if  they 
ever  come  out  at  all  you  have  to  dig  them  out  froni  under  a  pile  of  fil  hy 
Sunday  newspapers.    When  they  come  to  9hurch  they  wa^m  as  though 
they  were  bestowing  a  compliment  on  Almighty  God  by  ^em?  there^^ 
cannot  have  a  church  that  way  even  though  you  raise  ten  million  times  ten 
million     There  has  got  to  be  a  new  church  consciousness. 
Sn   a  writer  in  the  Christian  Century  says  in  this  same  connection: 
"ThrmetTopolitan  cities  have  thousands  of  .Protestants  on  the  road  to 
pagLism     They  are  the  new  rich,  who  by  'cHmbing'  processes,  have  out- 
S?o^t1Se  village  and  small  town  and  gotten  into  metropolitan  cities.    The 
Sre^  of  these  has  been  marked  by  intense  individualism     They  may  drop 
i?  once  in  a  while  on  the  church  that  represents  the  faith  of  their  fathers, 
TutTis  to  simple  Slings  superciHously'^and  without  a  sense  of  resoonsi- 

bility." 


(I 


Chapter  XIII 

THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 
"The  differences  within  the  Church  of  England  are  far  ^reat^r  ft,a« 

THE  history  of  the  Church  of  England  presents  another  proof 
of  the  disintegrating  force  for  ever  prevalent  in  Protes- 
tantism.    That  history  should,  therefore,  be  recalled  by 
everyone  who  is  confronted  by  the  question  :-"VVhy  should  I  not 
become  an  Anglican,  or  a  Protestant  Episcopalian?"    What,  then 
was  the  origin  of  Anglicanism?  '         ' 

the^I,np"wh!.^T"'?r'  ''^°  "'P""'"''  "^^  ^"^«  °f  the  Reformation, 
the  one  who  naturally  most  concerns  the  English-speaking  race  is 

^r^^w"-."^  ^"v^'""*^-  ^""'  self-interest  had  induced  thi's 
ZT^'^K  .w     f  ^'^  ^"""'''  *°^^''^^  the  Reformation,  he  had 

r^llS  ^"'''Jk'"!'''' '^°''""^^-  ^"^^^t''»  ^S^i.as'areward 
for  a  treatise  issued  by  him  against  the  monk  of  Wittenberg,  Henry 

received  from  Pope  Leo  X.  the  title  of  "Defender  of  the  Faith!^ 
R^r^  ?;  however,-though  gained  by  him  as  an  opponent  of  the 
Reformation,  was  not  renounced  by  him  when  he  turned  against 
Its  Papal  giver.   On  the  contrary,  he  not  only  retained  it,  but  actually 

aZtitl  nof'rhrr'*'  '"  ^^;  °'  ^^^"^'"^"^'  '''  '5«'  ^  P---"^ 
title  of  all  British  Protestant  Sovereigns!     Does  it  never  occur  to 
them  that  the  "Faith."  which  Henry  was  rewarded  for  defend  ng 
was  that  of  the  Catholic  Church  they  now  repudiate? 

rniT!?!''^""*!/"  ^'"7''  ^'"^""^  '"  ^'^  "^"^  sty'e,  and  called  its 
in  "k  '.^  i'"''"'u  ^^'  ^  "^°°''"  ^  ""^^."  a  "blasphemer" 
^ril  f  ?f  ■  •       .'"'  **'"'^°'^'  "^^  fi"'^  Henry,  some  years  later, 

S  °  i"""^.  '^'  'f  "P'"  °f  ""^"y  <^«™^  P""«=es  in  declaring 
himself  independent  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  joining  those 
whose  doctrines  he  had  once  condemned,  we  naturally  s^k  the 

SloHoJt  ^^  ^"^"''-  ^'  ^°^  ''''"  •"  ^  '""«  ^°^  ~  ^^ 
As  for  the  first,  it  is  well  to  recall  the  fact  that  for  several  years 
previous  to  his  assumption  of  the  role  of  a  Reformer  he  had  been 
toying  to  prevail  upon  Pope  Clement  VII.  to  annul  his  marriage 
with  Queen  Catharine,  that  he  might  marry  Anne  Boleyn.  The 
Queen  appealed  to  the  Pontiff  to  defend  her,  as  she  was  certainly 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 


131 


Henry's  true  and  lawful  wife  and  had  been  so  for  twenty  years. 
Nor  did  she  appeal  in  vain.    The  Pope,  although  by  yielding  could 
probably  have  kept  England  Catholic,  resisted  every  blandishment, 
and  bade  the  profligate  King  recall  his  wife,  and  send  away  her 
rival,  threatening  him  with  excommunication  if  he  should  refuse  to 
do  so.    Henry,  however,  determined  at  all  hazards  to  install  his 
mistress  in  the  place  of  Catharine,  dismissed  the  Papal  representa- 
tive. Cardinal  Wolsey,  and  soon  appointed  as  his  successor  in  the 
Archbishopric  of  Canterbury  his  pliant  tool  Thomas  Cranmer,  one 
of  whose  earliest  acts  was  to  declare  the  King's  divorce  legitimate. 
Working  through  him,  Henry  soon  took  the  law  into  his  own  hands, 
and  acted  with  astonishing  celerity.    On  June  i,  i533  Anne  Boleyn 
was  crowned;  in  the  following  month  the  breach  between  the  King 
and  Pope  became  complete;  and  in  1534  Henry  caused  Parliament  to 
proclaim  him  the  "Supreme  Head  on  earth  of  the  Church  of  England." 
We  need  not  linger  long  upon  the  record  of  this  Head  of  the 
English  Church.   On  the  day  following  the  execution  of  Anne  Boleyn, 
to  whom  he  had  been  married  only  four  years,  he  married  Jane 
Seymour;  a  year  later,  he  espoused  Anne  of  Cleves;  and  to  her 
succeeded  the  gentle  Catharine  Howard,  who  also  was  beheaded 
after  fifteen  months  of  matrimony,  thus  making  room  for  Catharine 
Parr,  who  herself  narrowly  escaped  the  scaffold. 

Yet  it  was  on  this  cruel  and  disreputable  Prince  that  a  Protestant 
Parliament  conferred  the  legal  right  to  define  what  was  orthodoxy 
and  what  was  heresy,  to  regulate  the  ritual  of  worship,  to  decide  on 
the  interpretation  of  Scripture,  and  to  appoint  or  to  dismiss  every 
clergyman  in  his  dominions! 

When  one  investigates,  therefore,  the  origin  of  the  Anglican 
Church,  one  finds  that  its  founder  was  the  murderer  of  two  wives, 
the  repudiator  of  others,  and  the  executioner  of  many  of  the  noblest 
Englishmen  of  the  time,  who  had  the  conscience  and  the  courage 
to  oppose  him.  Among  these  were  the  venerable  Bishop  Fisher, 
more  than  eighty  years  of  age,  and  Sir  Thomas  More,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  his  century.  These  martyrs  could  not 
bring  themselves  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Henry  in  things 
spiritual,  and  therefore  were  beheaded  with  the  axe.  The  Abbots 
of  Glastonbury,  Reading  and  Colchester,  who  also  bravely  resisted 
Henry's  sacrilegious  demands,  were  likewise  accused  of  treason,  and 
the  contents  of  their  abbeys  were  confiscated.  So  easy  is  it  to  find 
excuses  to  plunder  defenceless  wealth  I 

The  first  of  these  illustrious  victims  was  eighty  years  of  age  and 
a  great  invalid.  He  was,  however,  dragged  on  a  hurdle  to  the  top 
of  a  hill,  overlooking  his  once  beautiful  abbey,  which  had  been 
partially  laid  in  ruins,  and  when  "he  would  confess  no  more  gold 
and  silver,"  was  hanged  and  quartered  I     Soon  many  other  less 


I 


\). 


,( 


132 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


distinguished  monks  and  priests,  who  would  not  take  the  required 
oath  to  Henry,  as  the  Head  of  the  Church,  and  had  refused  to  preach 
to  their  parishioners  that  the  Pope  was  Antichrist,  were  either 
hanged,  beheaded,  quartered  or  disembowelled.  Nor  were  these 
deeds  of  cruelty  confined  to  England. 

When  Henry  began  his  persecution,  there  were  about  1,000 
Dominican  monks  in  Ireland,  only  four  of  whom  survived  when 
Elizabeth  came  to  the  throne  thirty  years  later. 

What  is  important  to  remember  is  that  Henry  VIII.  did  not 
commit  these  crimes  as  an  ordinary  man  or  for  ordinary  motives. 
He  did  them  that  he  might  make  more  secure  his  authority  as  the 
Supreme  Head  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  England,  and  it  was  by 
these  acts  of  persecution  and  spoliation  that  he  did  make  himself 
and  his  successors  rulers  of  that  Church. 

His  plundering  of  the  Christian  shrines  and  consecrated  cloisters 
in  his  realm  has  rarely  been  surpassed  in  any  land.  Protestants 
themselves  admit  this.  An  Episcopalian  clergyman  concedes  that 
Henry's  "character  was  about  as  bad  as  it  could  be,  while  his  con- 
fiscation of  our  Church  property  makes  him  the  greatest  church- 
robber  that  ever  lived"  (Little's  "Reasons  for  being  a  Churchman," 
p.  142).  We  can  form  some  idea  of  what  an  opportunity  for  spolia- 
tion that  Head  of  the  Church  of  England  had,  when  we  remember 
that  there  are  now  in  England  several  thousand  churches  which 
were  originally  Catholic  sanctuaries.  Many  of  these  still  stand  upon 
the  same  foundations  which  supported  them  five  centuries  ago,  and 
some  of  them  have  not  essentially  changed  since  they  were  built, 
four  hundred  years  before  Henry  VIII.  was  born.  The  treasures 
contained  in  these  and  other  churches  were  of  marvellous  richness, 
beauty  and  historical  value.  Hundreds  of  lists  of  "Church  goods," 
still  extant  in  England,  prove  this  fact;  for  they  describe  minutely 
marble  altars,  sculptured  tombs,  massive  silver  railings,  frescoes, 
statues,  paintings,  gorgeous  vestments,  chalices,  monstrances,  cro- 
ziers,  beautifully  illuminated  books,  rare  manuscripts,  elaborate 
crucifixes  in  wood  and  silver,  processional  crosses,  and  banners  of 
the  most  elaborate  workmanship.  On  all  these  Church  possessions 
the  spoilers  of  the  "Reformation"  were  let  loose,  and  the  result  was 
fatal.  The  priceless  objects  disappeared,  like  leaves  before  a  swarm 
of  locusts.  The  chalices  of  gold  and  silver  which  had  for  centuries 
held  the  Holy  Eucharist,  illuminated  missals  of  great  value,  bells, 
statues,  crucifixes, — all  were  seized  and  sold,  if  not  destroyed.  In- 
cited ^y  the  lust  for  plunder,  a  wanton  passion  for  destruction  burst 
fort  J  also  in  extreme  ferocity. 

From  a  depraved  desire  to  defile  what  once  had  been  held  sacred, 
mobs  stalled  their  horses  in  the  nobly  decorated  cloisters,  melted  the 
consecrated  bells,  broke  stained-glass  windows,  and  sold  the  spoils 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 


133 


of  precious  libraries  to  tradesmen,  to  serve  as  fuel  for  their  stovesl 
Surplices,  vestments  and  altar  linen  were  turned  into  tablecloths 
and  curtains,  or  else  sold  as  curios.  ("The  Reformation  of  the 
Church  of  England,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  68.)  Many  of  the  most  beautiful 
ruins  in  Great  Britain,  such  as  the  once  exquisitely  sculptured 
Melrose  Abbey,  are  eloquent  reminders  of  Protestant  iconoclasts 

and  pillagers. 

Remarkable  also  is  the  fact  that  the  Reformers  turned  away 
thousands  of  poor  people  from  the  monasteries,  where  they  had 
been  fed  for  years;  and  drove  out  nuns  by  thousands  into  a  derisive 
worid,  with  no  support,  and  yet  forbidden  to  marry,  under  penalty 
of  being  arrested  as  common  felons!    ("Historians'  History  of  the 
World,"  vol.  xix.,  p.  185).    The  monasteries  had,  it  is  true,  in  the 
course  of  time,  accumulated  much  wealth;  but  this  may  truthfully 
be  said  to  have  been  the  patrimony  of  the  poor,  for  the  doors  of  those 
institutions  were  always  open  to  the  suffering  and  needy.    Together, 
these  institutions  owned  perhaps  a  third  of  the  land;   but  they 
cultivated  it,  were  proverbially  lenient  landlords,  and  their  chanties 
were  boundless.    James  E.  Rogers,  Professor  of  Political  Economy 
in  Oxford,  says  in  his  "Six  Centuries  of  Work  and  Wages,    vol.  11., 
p,  358:__"The  Church  of  the  Middle  Ages  conferred  inestimable 
benefits  on  mankind,  and  especially  on  England.  .  .  .  England  was 
planted  full  of  monasteries  and  capitular  bodies.    They  had,  to  be 
sure,  the  fatal  gift  of  wealth,  but  they  seem  to  have  used  it  well. 
They  were  founders  of  schools,  authors  of  chronicles,  teachers  of 
agriculture,  fairly  indulgent  landlords,  and  advocates  of  generous 
dealing  towards  the  peasantry."  ^    ,  ^     .      • 

In  other  words,  in  England,  as  elsewhere,  the  relief  of  destitution 
was  the  fundamental  religious  duty  of  mediaeval  Christianity,— a 
duty  faithfully  performed  by  English  monasteries.  To-day  a  few 
rich  men  possess  still  more  of  England's  land,  and  much  of  this  lies 
idle,  or  is  used  for  hunting,  the  peasants  being  frequently  forbidden 
to  occupy  it  on  any  terms  I  How  have  the  people  profited  by  the 
exchange?  The  English  writer  on  Political  Economy,  Dr.  Percy 
Withers,  recently  said:— "In  England  and  Wales  77  per  cent,  of  our 
people,— that  is  about  30,000,000,— live  herded  on  little  more  than 
one-tenth  of  the  land!  ...  The  results  are  physical  unfitness, 
disease,  squalor,  drunkenness,  thriftlessness,  moral  depravity,  need- 
less suffering  and  criminal  waste." 

What  makes  the  crimes  of  Henry  VIII.  and  Elizabeth  peculiarly 
atrocious  is  the  fact  that  the  Church  which  they  discarded,  plundered 
and  persecuted,  was  the  Church  which  had  been  for  a  millennium 
the  Church  of  all  the  English,  It  was  Pope  Gregory  the  Great  who, 
in  A.D.  590,  despatched  St.  Augustine  and  other  monks  to  convert 
the  inhabitants  of  the  British  Isles  from  heathenism  to  Christianity, 


I 


f 


134 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


[\ 


I 


and  for  nearly  a  thousand  years  the  people  of  England,  priests  and 
laity  alike,  had  been  in  close  communion  with  the  Papal  See.  Up 
to  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  the  spiritual  supremacy  of  the  Pope  had 
never  been  denied  in  England,  and  the  primates  of  the  Church  had 
never  been  installed  there,  till  their  appointments  had  been  ratified 
by  the  Successor  of  St.  Peter.  British  bishops  were  present  also  at 
the  important  Councils  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  Pope 
Hadrian  IV.  was  an  Englishman, — the  son  of  a  simple  farmer. 

Yet  in  the  face  of  these  facts,  the  Church  of  England  in  its 
"Homily  of  Idolatry"  distinctly  states  that  "for  800  years  and 
more,  laity  and  clergy,  learned  and  unlearned,  all  ages,  sects  and 
degrees  of  men,  women  and  children  of  the  whole  of  Christendom 
have  been  at  once  drowned  in  abominable  idolatry,  of  all  vices  most 
detested  of  God  and  most  damnable  to  man"!  If  this  horrible  in- 
dictment be  true,  where  is  the  verification  of  the  Saviour's  promise 
that  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  His  Church?  Did 
He  not  keep  His  word  through  all  those  centuries?  Can  we  believe 
that  the  vast  majority  of  Christians  were  allowed  to  live  and  die  for 
ages  in  the  grossest  error?  Can  we  suppose  that  the  divinely  founded 
Catholic  Church,  which  was  already  old  before  the  first  of  Britain's 
heathen  was  baptised,  was,  during  all  that  time,  left  unprotected 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  governed  by  a  line  of  Antichrists? 

Yet  if  this  ancient  Faith  was  so  beloved  and  deeply  rooted  in  the 
English  people,  how  was  it  possible  so  quickly  to  destroy  it,  and  to 
supplant  it  with  another?  The  means  employed  for  such  a  task 
must  have  been  powerful  indeed.  One  thing  which  made  it  easier 
was  the  political  situation  of  England,  caused  by  the  rupture  with 
the  Vatican;  for,  through  the  Pope's  refusal  to  sanction  Henry's 
divorce,  Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Anne  Boleyn,  was  held  by 
Catholics  to  be  illegitimate.  Her  cousin,  therefore,  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots,  a  Catholic  and  wedded  to  the  young  King  of  France, 
became  thereby  the  rightful  heiress  to  the  English  throne.  Her 
coronation  would,  however,  have  meant  the  transfer  of  England  to 
the  dominion  of  France,  and  the  fear  of  such  an  event  formed  one 
of  the  principal  reasons  why  so  many  Englishmen  sacrificed  their 
religious  convictions,  and  recognised  Elizabeth  as  Head  of  the 
Church  which  she  had  forced  upon  them,  however  much  they  per- 
sonally disliked  her. 

A  still  more  potent  cause  of  the  rapid  apostasy  of  England  from 
Catholicism  was  the  terrible  persecution  inflicted  on  all  Non- 
Conformists.  To  realise  what  this  was,  it  is  necessary  only  to  refer 
to  the  Acts  of  Parliament,  passed  in  the  reigns  of  Henry's  successors, 
Edward  VI.  and  Elizabeth. 

In  1548,  Edward  VI.,  as  supreme  Head  of  the  Church,  caused  it 
to  be  ordained  that  any  clergyman  not  using  the  Book  of  Common 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 


13s 


Prayer,  or  using  any  other  form  of  prayer,  should  suffer  imprisonment 
for  life!  Three  years  later,  this  was  extended  to  the  laity,  and  the 
law  read: — ^"^If  any  person  be  present  at  any  form  of  prayer  or  ecclesi- 
astical rites,  other  than  those  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,  he  shall  suffer  imprisonment  for  life."  In  fact,  both  priests 
and  many  of  the  laity  were  forced  to  adopt  Anglicanism,  or  suffer 
death  in  ways  of  which  the  axe  was  the  most  merciful. 

All  Catholics  were  placed  under  the  harrow  of  oppressive  laws. 
To  become  a  Catholic  was  to  commit  an  act  of  high  treason.  No 
Catholic  might  be  the  master  of  a  school;  if  he  sent  his  child  abroad 
for  education,  all  his  estates  could  be  forfeited,  and  he  became  a 
civil  outlaw.  If  a  Catholic  did  not  attend  Protestant  worship,  he 
was  not  allowed  to  come  within  ten  miles  of  London,  to  travel  more 
than  five  miles  away  from  his  home,  and  could  not  bring  an  action 
at  law.  Moreover,  no  christenings,  marriages  or  burials  could 
take  place  among  them  except  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Espionage  and  treachery  were  well  rewarded.  A  statute 
of  Parliament,  passed  in  1605,  reads:— "Any  person  discovering 
where  Mass  was  said,  shall  have  his  own  pardon  and  one-third  of  the 
goods  forfeited  by  the  attainder/'  Executions  speedily  began.  Sir 
James  Stephens  reckons  them,  at  one  time,  at  about  800  a  year. 
(See  Cardinal  Newman's  "Present  Position  of  Catholics  in  England," 
pp.  215-217.) 

Hallam,  in  his  "Constitutional  History  of  England"  (vol.  i., 
p.  146),  says  that  the  revolting  tortures  and  executions  of  Jesuit 
priests  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  were  characterised  by  a  "savageness 
and  bigotry,  which  I  am  very  sure  no  scribe  of  the  Inquisition  could 
have  surpassed."  If  the  details  of  these  atrocities  were  here  narrated, 
they  would  form  very  unpleasant  reading  for  Protestants,  accustomed 
as  they  are  to  think  that  all  religious  persecution  has  been  done  by 
Catholics.  As  Newman  says:— "It  is  pleasanter  (for  them)  to  de- 
claim against  persecution,  and  to  call  the  Inquisition  a  hell,  than  to 
consider  their  own  devices  and  the  work  of  their  own  hands."  It 
was,  however,  a  veritable  reign  of  terror. 

"No  man  could  enjoy  security  in  the  privacy  of  his  own  house, 
where  he  was  liable  at  all  hours,  but  generally  in  the  night,  to  be 
visited  by  a  magistrate  at  the  head  of  an  armed  mob.  At  a  signal 
given,  the  doors  were  burst  open,  and  the  pursuivants  in  separate 
divisions  hastened  to  the  different  apartments,  examined  the  beds, 
tore  the  tapestry  and  wainscoting  from  the  walls,  forced  open  the 
closets,  drawers  and  coffers,  and  made  every  search  which  their 
ingenuity  could  suggest,  to  discover  either  a  priest,  or  books,  chalices 
and  vestments,  appropriated  to  the  Catholic  worship.  To  resist  or 
remonstrate  was  only  to  provoke  additional  aggression.  All  the 
inmates  were  interrogated;  their  persons  were  searched,  under  the 


136 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


pretext  that  superstitious  articles  might  be  concealed  among  their 
clothes;  and  there  are  instances  on  record  of  females  of  rank  whose 
reason  and  lives  were  endangered  from  the  brutality  of  the  officers" 
(Lingard,  "History  of  England,"  vol.  vi.,  pp.  166-167). 

All  these  and  many  other  equally  cruel  measures  for  dragooning 
the  Catholic  inhabitants  of  England  into  the  new  State  Church,  of 
which  the  English  Sovereign  was  the  Head,  may  be  read  in  the  Acts 
of  Parliament  passed  in  1568,  1581,  1587,  1605,  1627,  1670,  1700 
and  1 7 14;  and  as  a  proof  that  these  atrocious  laws  were  pitilessly 
carried  out,  we  may  recall  the  fact  that,  in  1626,  Lord  Scroop  was 
accused  of  being  too  lenient,  because  he  had  convicted  only  1,670 
Catholics  in  the  limited  area  of  East  Riding  in  Yorkshire. 

Established  by  such  methods,  and  deliberately  severed  by  its 
founders  from  the  Mother  Church,  the  Church  of  England  must, 
therefore,  be  regarded  by  an  unprejudiced  student  as  merely  a 
human  institution,  most  of  whose  excellences  are  derived  from  the 
Church  which  it  abandoned.  It  was  made  by  Henry  and  his  Parlia- 
ment a  State  creation,  and  such  it  still  remains.  Under  the  supremacy 
of  the  British  Sovereign  and  Parliament,  it  really  forms  a  department 
of  the  Government,— ''the  ecclesiastical  section  of  the  Civil  Service." 

Moreover,  being  divided  by  internal  dissensions,  its  dogmas  cannot 
be  defined  with  certainty.  Although  all  Anglican  clergymen  are 
obliged  to  sign,  and  even  to  take  an  oath  to  accept  and  teach  its 
famous  "Thirty-Nine  Articles,"  in  their  ^'literal  and  grammatical 
sense*'  in  the  '*plain  meaning  thereof,"  many  of  them  repudiate  that 
"plain  meaning,"  and  hold  and  preach  doctrines  which  are  explicitly 
denied  in  the  Thirty-Nine  Articles,  and  condemned  by  most  of  their 
Bishops.  Such  clergymen,  however,  say  quite  frankly: — ^"The 
Thirty-Nine  Articles  and  the  Prayer-Book  do  not  mean  what  you 
think  they  mean.  It  is  true,  most  of  our  Bishops  think  as  you  do, 
and  say  that  we  are  wrong,  but  it  is  they  who  are  mistaken," 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  differences  in  the  Church  of 
England  are  not  limited  to  trivialities,  or  to  questions  of  "Church 
millinery,"  as  many  suppose.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  often  very 
serious,  and  affect  the  conduct  of  the  soul  and  its  obedience  to  God's 
commands. 

Lord  Avebury  declares  that  I'the  differences  within  the  Church 
of  England  are  far  greater  than  those  which  sever  Non-Conformist 
bodies  from  the  Established  Church,  and  from  one  another"!  "Low" 
members  of  that  Church  sometimes  invade  the  congregations  of 
their  "High  Church"  brethren,  and  interrupt  the  services  with 
shouts  and  threats!  Some  towns  of  England  are  notorious  for  such 
demonstrations,  which  are  known  as  "surplice  riots."  The  Anglicans 
who  thus  protest  against  the  High  Church  ceremonies  are  un- 
questionably sincere,  and  claim  that  they  are  acting  in  defence  of 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 


137 


the  Prayer-Book;  but  who  possesses  the  authority  to  interpret  the 
Prayer-Book?  The  High  Church  finds  in  it  one  thing,  the  Low 
Church  another,  the  Broad  Church  a  third,  and  the  Rationalistic, 
or  "No  Church,"  still  another!  It  is  of  no  use  to  appeal  to  the 
Bishops,  for  they  are  themselves  divided.  Each  party  boasts  of 
having  some  of  them  as  patrons.  What  wonder,  therefore,  that  the 
sceptic  says: — "I  will  hear  you,  when  you  can  agree  on  what  you 
wish  to  teach  me."    The  reproof  is  well  deserved. 

The  "Broad  Church,"  for  example,  does  not  wish  to  use  the 
Athanasian  Creed,  while  the  "Low  Church"  finds  it  very  edifying. 
"High  Church"  and  "Broad  Church"  also  look  upon  the  Sacrament 
of  Holy  Communion  from  entirely  different  standpoints.  One 
holds  that  it  involves  the  miracle  of  transubstantiation ;  the  other 
claims  that  it  is  merely  a  memorial  service.  Both,  it  is  true,  repeat 
the  same  liturgy,  but  each  gives  to  the  words  of  the  Prayer-Book  a 
special  interpretation,  which  would  create  a  great  sensation  if 
expounded  in  an  interchange  of  pulpits.  Moreover,  while  some 
Anglicans  regard  the  Church  of  Rome  as  the  "Scarlet  Woman"  and 
the  very  embodiment  of  idolatry  and  blasphemy,  others  in  the  same 
Church  believe  in  the  Divine  Presence  in  the  sanctuary,  adopt 
auricular  confession,  and  in  their  altar  decorations,  incense  and  the 
use  of  candles  approach  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Still  more  remarkable  is  the  fact  that,  while  some  members  of  the 
Anglican  communion  call  themselves  Protestants,  and  are  proud  of 
it,  many  of  the  High  Church  clergymen  and  laity  repudiate  the 
name,  and  even  declare  that  Protestantism  is  a  heresy! 

History  proves,  however,  that  the  founders  of  Anglicanism  were 
really  Protestants  of  the  deepest  dye,  that  they  were  actuated  by 
the  same  fierce  hatred  of  Catholicism  which  the  Lutherans  possessed, 
and  that  they  even  surpassed  these  in  the  cruelty  of  their  persecu- 
tions and  in  their  plundering  and  destruction  of  Catholic  property. 

Nor  must  we  forget  that  still  another  section  of  the  Church  of 
England  practically  discards  the  leading  doctrines  of  Christian 
theology,  including  the  Incarnation,  Resurrection,  Ascension  and 
Divinity  of  Christ,  as  well  as  the  personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost! 

Already,  some  fifty  years  ago,  there  was  published  in  England  a 
volume,  entitled  "Essays  and  Reviews,"  which  was  the  work  of  six 
prominent  professors  and  clergymen  of  the  Anglican  Church.  The 
doctrines  advocated  in  this  book  were  in  such  open  defiance  of  the 
generally  accepted  Christian  dogmas,  that  other  eminent  members 
of  that  Church  at  once  declared  that  they  were  ''essentially  and 
completely  at  variance  with  the  doctrinal  teaching  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  cannot,  even  under  the  shelter  of  any  names,  be 
advisedly  maintained  by  honest  men  who  hold  her  ministry" t    Could 


I3« 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


\ 


a 


i 


language  be  more  unequivocal  than  this,  or  condemnation  stronger? 
Yet  the  authors  of  the  volume,  though  presumably  ''honest  men," 
neither  retracted  their  statements  nor  resigned  their  clerical  posi- 
tions! 

An  American  free-thinker  wrote  from  England  in  reference  to 
this  book  (National  Reformer,  November  24,  i860):— "This  is  a 
work  of  the  greatest  importance.  It  sets  aside  the  old  theology 
entirely,  and  propounds  the  rational  views  of  Paine  and  Voltaire 
with  just  that  mixture  of  cloudiness  which  you  might  expect  from 
persons  who,  while  they  see  the  folly  of  the  old  superstitions,  yet 
remember  that  they  are  clergymen,  and  feel  that  they  are  but 
partially  independent  and  free.  ...  We  are  on  the  eve  of  a  great 
religious  revolution.  .  .  .  Many  of  our  great  writers  cling  to  the 
doctrines  of  God  and  a  future  state,  but  they  have  no  more  faith  in 
the  Divine  authority  of  the  Bible,  or  in  the  supernatural  origin  of 
Christianity,  than  you  or  L  .  .  .  The  works  of  Professor  Baden- 
Powell,  .  .  .  Professor  Jowett  (two  of  the  compilers  of  the  'Essays 
and  Reviews'),  etc.,  are  doing  a  world  of  goodl" 

Now  who  is  to  decide,  and  to  enforce  decisions,  in  a  Church  like 
this?  Theoretically,  a  King  or  Queen  is  supposed  to  do  so,  but 
really,  in  any  test  case,  the  decision  rests,  not  with  the  Sovereign, 
or  the  Bishops,  but  with  Parliament.  And  what  is  Parliament? 
A  legislative  assembly,  mostly  composed  of  laymen,  many  of  whom 
are  atheists,  agnostics  or  Israelites,— in  other  words,  a  transitory 
congress  of  the  representatives  of  all  religions  and  of  no  religion! 
Moreover,  since  the  royal  Head  of  the  English  Church  has  now  been 
shorn  of  many  of  his  kingly  prerogatives,  the  actual  Head  of  the 
Church  of  England  is  the  chief  of  that  particular  political  party 
which  happens  to  be  temporarily  in  power. 

To-day  this  chief  is  Mr.  Lloyd  George,*  a  Welsh  Dissenter; 

♦The  following  is  from  the  Church  Times  (an  Anglo-Catholic  weekly) 
of  November  S,  1920: 

"At  last  we  know  who  is  the  Bishop-Maker.  Y  Cymro  reports  the  pro- 
ceedings at  the  breakfast  with  the  Prime  Minister  of  a  deputation  of  Welsh 
Calvinistic  Methodists,  drawn  to  Downing  Street  to  discuss  the  questions  of 
temperance  legislation  and  chapel  sites.  A  correspondent  furnishes  us  with 
this  translation  of  the  Welsh  report: — ^'The  Prime  Minister  said  that  already 
he  had  nominated  over  half  the  bishops  of  the  Established  Church,  "or 
rather,"  he  said  with  a  roguish  look  in  his  eye,  "Mr.  Ernest  Evans  chooses 
them  and  I  appoint  them.  He  now  and  then  goes  to  hear  them  preach,  and 
when  he  returns  he  sometimes  says  about  some  of  them,  That  one  has 
ability,  he'll  do.* "  *  We  had  supposed  that  the  King  appointed,  on  the  ad- 
vice of  the  Prime  Minister;  it  appears  that  the  Prime  Minister  now  ap- 
points, on  the  advice  of  Mr.  Ernest  Evans,  and  another  prerogative  of  the 
Crown  has  quietly  fallen  into  abeyance.  What  else  Mr.  Ernest  Evans  may 
be  we  have  been  unable  to  discover ;  that  he  is  the  power  behind  the  Throne 
Mr.  Lloyd  George  assures  us." 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  139 

and  not  long  ago  the  world  beheld  the  still  more  remarkable  spectacle 
of  a  Jew,—Benjamin  Disraeli,— appointing  the  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury and  other  prelates  of  the  Established  Church! 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  the  Church  of  England,  it  must  be 
also  borne  in  mind  that,  although  it  holds  so  prominent  a  position  in 
social  and  political  life  at  home,  it  is,  abroad,  comparatively  insig- 
nificant.   The  late  Father  Hugh  Benson,— a  convert  to  Catholicism 
although  his  father  had  been  the  highest  prelate  in  the  AngUcan 
Church,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,— gives  this  striking  picture 
of  the  isolation  and  provincial  character  of  that  Church  outside  of 
England:— "My  contentment  with  the  Church  of  England  suffered 
a  certain  shock  by  my  perceiving  what  a  very  small  and  unimportant 
affair  the  Anglican  communion  really  was.    There  we  were,  travelling 
through  France  and  Italy  down  to  Venice,  seeing,  in  passing,  church 
after  church,  whose  worshippers  knew  nothing  of  us  or  of  our  claims. 
I  had  often  been  abroad  before,  but  never  since  I  had  formally 
identified  myself  with  the  official  side  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Now  I  looked  at  things  through  more  professional  eyes,  and,  behold, 
we  were  nowhere.    Here  was  this  vast  continent  apparently  ignorant 
of  our  existence!     I  believed  myself  a  priest,  yet  I  could  not  say 
so  to  strangers  without  qualifying  clauses.  ...  As  I  came  back 
alone  through  Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Land,  my  discomfort  in- 
creased.   Here  again,  in  the  birthplace  of  Christendom,  we  were  less 
than  nothing.  ...  In  all  the  churches  it  was  the  same.    Every 
Eastern    heretical  and  schismatical  sect  imaginable  took  its  turn  at 
the  altar  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  for  each  had  at  least  the  respecta- 
bility of  some  centuries  behind  it,— some  sort  of  historical  conti- 
nuity.   But  the  Anglican  Church,  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to 
think  of  as  the  sound  core  of  a  rotten  tree,  had  no  privileges  any- 
where: it  was  as  if  it  did  not  exist;  or  rather  it  was  recognised  and 
treated  by  the  rest  of  Christendom  purely  as  a  Protestant  sect  of 
recent  origin.** 

The  confusion  which  prevails  in  the  Anglican  Church  is  well 
illustrated  in  a  conversation  given  in  Lady  Georgiana  Fullerton's 
admirable  story,  entitled  "Mrs.  Gerald^s  Niece."  Was  it  true,  the 
Abate  asked,  that  her  husband  was  an  English  clergyman?  Yes,  she 
answered,  he  was  an  Anglican  clergyman.  The  Abate  sighed.  '  She 
hastened  to  say:— "But  he  is  not  a  Protestant;  he  is  a  Catholic,— an 
i4«^/(?-Catholic."  "Not  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England,  then?" 
"Yes,  of  the  Catholic  Church  of  England."  "But  that  is  impossible, 
Signora.  If  he  was  an  English  CathoHc  priest,  he  could  not  be 
married."  "He  is  not  an  English  Roman  Catholic  priest,  but  a  Cath- 
olic priest  of  the  Anglican  Church."  "But  the  Anglican  Church  is 
Protestant."  "No,"  Ita  eagerly  rejoined,  "that  is  the  mistake.  It 
has  been  thought  to  be  Protestant,  but  it  is  really  Catholic"    "We 


i\ 


i\ 


140  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

cannot  be  talking  of  the  same  Church,  Signora;  I  mean  the  Church 
of  England,  to  which  the  Rev.  Nilson  belongs."  "Oh,  yes,  it  is  the 
liame  Church;  but  my  husband  thinks  quite  differently  from  Mr. 
Nilson.  Nothing  can  be  more  different.  Edgar  believes  in  the 
Real  Presence,  in  Confession  and  Absolution."  "Bravo,"  exclaimed 
the  Abate;  "but  then  how  can  he  be  of  the  same  religion  as  the  Rev. 
Nilson,  who  tells  our  people  that  the  Blessed  Sacrament  is  nothing 
but  a  piece  of  bread,  etc?"  "Well,  it  is  not  the  same  religion,  but 
the  same  Church."  "Are  there,  then,  two  religions  in  the  same 
Church?"  "Edgar,"  she  answered,  "says  that  what  Mr.  Nilson 
teaches  is  heresy."  "Then  why  does  your  Church  let  him  teach  it?" 
"It  cannot  help  it;  some  of  our  Bishops  think  as  he  does!" 

A  singular  theory  has  of  late  found  favour  among  certain  Angli- 
cans, who  desire  recognition  from  the  older  forms  of  Christianity. 
This  "Branch  theory,"  as  it  is  called,  claims  that  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic, Greek  and  Anglican  Churches  are  "Branches"  of  the  one  Church 
of  Christ.  This  idea  may  be  pleasant  to  those  Anglicans  who  know 
themselves  to  be  in  schism  from  the  Mother  Church,  and  would  like 
to  be  readopted,  without  making  any  essential  concessions;  but  it  is 
utterly  rejected  both  by  the  Eastern  Church  and  the  Church  of 
Rome,  each  of  which  is  very  much  larger  than  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. Neither  of  these  will  accept  the  Anglican,  with  his  mutilated 
Sacraments  and  his  repudiation  of  several  fundamental  doctrines, 
common  to  both ;  and  both  refuse  to  recognise  as  Apostolic,  Anglican 
orders,  dating  from  the  Reformation  only,  or  to  consider  Anglican 
clerg3^men  as  genuine  priests; — a  fact  which  becomes  all  the  more 
striking,  when  one  perceives  that  Anglican  orders  are  repudiated,  not 
only  thus  by  the  greater  part  of  Christendom,  but  even  by  millions 
of  Englishmen  themselves. 

But,  even  supposing  that  there  are  ecclesiastical  "Branches"  of 
this  sort,  where  is  the  Trunk,  of  which  they  form  a  part? 

Surely  there  must  be  somewhere  an  ancestral  Trunk,  from  which 
they  all  derive  their  origin.  But,  if  so,  can  there  be  any  doubt  that 
this  must  be  the  first  and  oldest  of  all  Churches,— the  one  founded 
by  Christ  and  His  Apostles,— the  Roman  Catholic?  Yet  in  that 
case,  the  Greek  and  Anglican  "Branches"  are  no  longer  attached  to 
the  parent  stem,  but  have  fallen  away  from  it. 

In  England  the  only  living  Branch  is  the  Catholic  Church,  for  this 
has  never  separated  itself  from  that  parent  stem,  but  is  still  vitally 
connected  with  it.  Cardinal  Merry  del  Val  says  of  this  scheme:— 
"A  Branch  theory  has  been  devised  as  a  compromise,  with  which  to 
satisfy  the  yearnings  of  many  an  aching  heart.  But,  alas!  without 
avail.  We,  too,  hold  a  *  Branch'  theory,  but  it  is  the  one  of  which 
our  Blessed  Saviour  spoke.  Branches  there  are,  and  must  be,  in 
the  One  Church,  but  not  Branches  which  have  no  stem,  and  are  cut 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND 


141 


off  from  the  Vine,  with  their  leaves  scattered  *High,'  and  'Low' 
and  *Broad.'  Our  Lord  spoke  of  such  branches,  and  said: — ^'If  any 
one  abide  not  in  Me,  he  shall  be  cast  forth,  as  a  branch,  and  shall 
wither'"  ("Papal  Claims,"  p.  127). 

It  is  not  strange,  however,  that  many  Anglicans  endeavour  thus 
to  effect  a  reconciliation  with  the  Mother  Church,  and  that  the 
members  of  the  High  Church  party  are  especially  dissatisfied.  What 
are  their  lighted  and  incensed  altars,  without  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Mass,  which  gives  to  them  their  raison  d'etre?  What  is  their  stately 
ritual  without  the  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence,  which  alone  can 
justify  it?  How  stirring  are  the  eloquent  words  of  Cardinal  Manning 
in  reference  to  the  removal  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  from  England's 
old  cathedrals, — a  deed  which  robbed  them  of  the  Sacred  Host, 
which  had  for  centuries  been  guarded  in  the  tabernacle,  as  the 
token  of  Christ's  presence!  "Does  anyone  know  the  name  of  the 
man  who  removed  the  Blessed  Sacrament  from  the  Cathedral  of 
Canterbury  or  York  Minster?  Was  it  in  the  morning,  or  in  the 
evening?  Can  we  hope  that  some  holy  priest,  in  sorrow,  out  of  love 
for  his  Master,  removed  His  eucharistical  Presence  to  save  it  from 
profanation?  Or  was  it  some  sacrilegious  hand  that  dragged  Him 
from  His  throne,  as  of  old  He  was  dragged  from  Gethsemane  to 
Calvary?  Canterbury  and  York  went  on,  the  day  after,  as  the  day 
before;  but  the  Light  of  Life  had  gone  out  of  them.  There  was  no 
holy  sacrifice  offered  morning  and  evening.  The  Scriptures  were 
read  there,  but  there  was  no  Divine  Teacher  to  interpret  them.  The 
Magnificat  was  still  chanted,  but  it  rolled  along  empty  roofs,  for 
Jesus  was  no  longer  on  the  altar.  So  is  it  to  this  day.  There  is  no 
light,  no  tabernacle,  no  altar;  nor  can  there  be,  till  Jesus  shall  return 
thither.  They  stand  like  the  open  sepulchre;  and  we  may  believe 
that  angels  are  there,  ever  saying: — ^'He  is  not  here.  Come  and  see 
the  place  where  the  Lord  was  laid.' " 

If  anything  more  were  needed  to  reveal  the  confusion  and  antag- 
onistic differences  in  the  Church  of  England,  it  could  be  found  in 
the  recent  scandal  in  its  ranks,  occasioned  by  the  appointment  of  a 
rationalistic  Bishop.  This  nomination,  though,  of  course,  agreeable 
to  some  Anglicans,  was  exceedingly  offensive  to  others,  who  consid- 
ered it  a  proof  that  unbelief  at  present  is  not  only  taught  by  many 
of  the  clergy  unrebuked,  but  that  such  teaching  is  officially  encour- 
aged. Many  Anglican  Bishops,  therefore,  protested  against  the  ap- 
pointment, and  declined  to  take  part  in  the  consecration.  Ten  dis- 
tinguished Anglican  clergymen  have,  in  fact,  on  this  account,  gone 
over  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  This  is,  however,  no  unusual  circum- 
stance. The  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Westminster  stated  recently 
that  there  are,  on  the  average,  about  9,000  conversions  from  the 
Church  of  England  to  Catholicism  annually.    In  1 901,  in  Liverpool 


142 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


alone  i,ooo  such  converts  were  received,  almost  all  of  whom  were 
from  the  educated  classes  (Jacob  Scherer,  "Why  I  Love  My  Church," 
p.  io6).  Among  these  were  Lord  Brampton,  the  artist  Aubrey 
Beardsley,  and  many  Anglican  ministers.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Scrolls 
formerly  of  the  Church  of  England,  writes:— "Almost  one-fourth  of 
the  Catholic  clergy  in  England  are  converts,  and  were  once  Anglican 
preachers." 

Is  it  probable  that  this  movement  will  become  so  general  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  English  State  Church  will  go  over  to  Catholicism? 
Surely  every  Catholic  must  hope  and  pray  for  such  an  event,  and 
there  are  many  who  believe  that  this  will  soon  take  place,  especially 
m  view  of  the  recent  "Anglo-Catholic  Congress,"  held  in  London  in 
June,  1920,  where  the  High  Church  Anglican  party  made  a  remark- 
able demonstration  of  piety  and  fervour,  and  of  a  desire  for  recon- 
ciliation with  the  Mother  Church  and  all  ecclesiastical  bodies  in 
Christendom.  On  that  occasion  twelve  Anglican  Bishops  recited  the 
"Hail  Mary"  in  unison  on  the  platform  of  Albert  Hall,  and  many 
were  the  "concessions"  which  the  representatives  of  that  party  were 
willing  to  make  to  all  who  differed  from  them. 

Yet  not  on  mere  external  similarities  to  the  ceremonies  liturgy 
and  practices  of  the  Catholic  Church  can  hopes  be  based  for  a  union 
between  Anglicanism  and  Catholicism.  The  increasing  number  of 
individual  converts  to  the  Church  of  Rome  might,  it  is  true,  make 
such  a  reconciliation  seem  at  first  quite  probable;  but  even  though 
the  "Anglo-Catholics"  do  adopt  large  portions  of  the  Catholic 
liturgy,  and  freely  use  constituents  of  the  Roman  service,  such  as 
candles,  incense  and  vestments;  nay,  even  though  they  willingly 
avail  themselves  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  and  pay  due  rever- 
ence to  the  Blessed  Virgin,— aU  this  remains  inadequate. 

The  desired  reunion  never  can  take  place,  so  long  as  the  Church 
of  England  refuses  to  acknowledge  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Suc- 
cessor of  St.  Peter  at  the  Vatican,  and  on  that  point  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  Anglicans  are  as  yet  inflexible.  Nothing  is  plainer,  how- 
ever,  than  the  fact  that  the  final  test  of  true  Catholicism  is  the  rec- 
ognition  of  the  Pope,  as  the  Head  of  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth 
mfallibly  preserved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  from  proclaiming  erroneous 
doctrines  in  his  ex  cathedra  utterances  on  matters  of  faith  and  morals. 
The  most  ardent  admirer  and  imitator  of  things  Catholic,  if  he  does 
not  accept  that  spiritual  authority  of  the  Pope,  has  no  legitimate 
place  tn  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  must  be  one  thing  or  the 
other.  If  the  essence  of  Protestantism  is  the  right  of  individual  pri- 
vate judgment,  its  quintessence  is  the  rejection  of  the  Papacy.  The 
lines  of  the  High  Church  Anglicans  and  Catholics  are  undoubtedly 
parallel,  but  merely  parallel  lines  can  never  meet. 
The  only  remedy  for  the  numerous  denominaUonal  divisions. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND  143 

which  Anglicans  and  Dissenters  alike  lament,  is  union  under  the 
divinely  appointed,  central  authority  of  the  Pastor  of  Christ's 
Church  on  earth.  So  long  as  they  reject  this,  their  only  unity  will 
be  that  of  protestation  against  Catholicism. 

In  view  of  all  these  facts,  does  it  seem  credible  that  there  are 
actually  Anglicans  who  firmly  believe  that  theirs  is  the  one,  true, 
visible.  Catholic  Church  of  God  and  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  in 
schism  from  it,  not  it  from  the  Church  of  Rome? 

In  regard  to  the  latter  assertion,  an  able  writer  has  well  said: 

"When  there  are  two  bodies,  one  of  which  is  great,  the  other  small, 
one  ancient,  the  other  modern,  ...  it  is  evidently  not  the  great 
or  the  ancient  which  becomes  responsible  for  a  separation,  but  the 
smaller,  modern  body.  A  small  portion,  detached  from  a  mountain, 
can  never  with  propriety  be  called  the  mountain  itself"  (Keenan, 
"Controversial  Catechism,"  p.  93). 

Such  Anglicans  as  those  above  mentioned  apparently  ignore  the 
following  facts: — 

1.  That  they  form  a  small  minority  of  the  Christian  believers 
living  on  their  island,  and  but  a  fraction  of  its  inhabitants; 

2.  That  their  claims  are  not  allowed  or  even  seriously  considered 
outside  of  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies; 

3.  That  their  Church  was  established  by  a  King  and  Parliament 
only  about  four  centuries  ago; 

4.  That  its  area  of  efficiency  is  chiefly  limited  to  the  narrow  space 
between  the  cliffs  of  Dover  and  the  Scottish  frontier; 

5.  That  it  is  painfully  unreliable  as  to  doctrine,  and  severed  into 
sections  by  internal  differences;  and 

Finally,  that  it  is  objected  to  by  nearly  forty  millions  of  British 
and  Colonial  Dissenters! 

What  is  to  be  the  future  of  the  Church  of  England,  as  a  corporate 
institution?  Undoubtedly  it  has  within  its  fold  thousands  of  genu- 
inely pious  souls  and  fervent  votaries;  yet  if  the  present  social  and 
political  movements  towards  democracy  should  cause  its  disestab- 
lishment, depriving  it  of  State  support  and  national  prestige,  it  would 
in  all  probability  not  long  survive.  The  immanent  centrifugal  force, 
which  it  derives  from  Protestantism,  and  which  is  working  constantly 
for  its  dissolution,  would  then  act  still  more  rapidly,  disintegrating 
it,  first,  into  its  various  sections,  and  then  dividing  it  into  two  great 
streams,  one  moving  towards  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  other  towards 
the  ranks  of  the  Dissenters  and  the  Rationalists. 

One  of  the  latest  judgments  pronounced  upon  the  Anglican 
Church  is  that  of  Mr.  Robert  Keable  in  a  book,  entitled  "Standing 
By;  War-Time  Reflections  in  France  and  Flanders"  (E.  P.  Dutton 


144 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


and  Co.,  1919).  The  author  was  a  missionary  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  Africa,  and  acted  as  a  war-chaplain  in  France.  In  this 
book  we  find  the  following  statement: — ^"'One  cannot  help  feeling 
that  nine  Protestant  chapels  out  of  ten  have  ceased  to  have  any  re- 
ligion at  all.  Protestantism  seems  to  be  largely  sermons,  organised 
h  relief  works,  and  temperance  legislation.  In  the  Church  of  England 
one  is  slowly  suffocated.  .  .  .  There  must  be  hundreds  of  priests 
and  laymen  who  see,  in  the  searchlight  of  this  war,  that  of  all  reli- 
gious  failures  in  history  it  would  be  hard  to  find  one  more  tragic  and 
complete  than  the  failure  of  the  Established  Church  of  England. 
That  for  the  hundreds  who  see  it,  there  are  thousands  who  do  not, 
and  that  for  the  thousands  who  do  not,  there  are  tens  of  thousands 
who  do  not  take  enough  interest  in  a  palpably  worn-out  institution 
to  think  about  the  matter  at  all,  only  emphasises  the  tragedy." 
•  •••••• 

Hence,  much  as  I  admired  many  things  in  the  Church  of  England, 
as  it  exists  today,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  enter  it.  To  me  it 
lacked  the  seal  of  the  Supernatural.  It  does  not  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  Chief  Bishop  of  the  Church,  unquestionably  founded 
by  Christ.  It  does  not  go  back  to  the  age  of  the  Apostles,  or,  indeed, 
within  fifteen  hundred  years  of  it,  but  sprang  into  existence  in  com- 
paratively recent  times,  under  very  questionable  circumstances,  and 
through  the  use  of  cruel  and  obnoxious  methods.  Moreover,  it  has 
not  the  first  essential  of  the  Church  of  Christ, — Unity  of  Faith.  It 
is,  on  the  contrary,  a  House  of  Confusion.  It  has  not  even  the  right 
to  call  itself  "Catholic,"  if  we  employ  that  term  in  its  legitimate 
meaning  of  "universal,"  for  it  is  national  in  its  establishment  and 
limited  in  area.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
fettered  by  no  confines  of  nationality  or  geography.  It  enters  every 
country  in  the  world,  preaching  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,  and 
uniting  men  of  every  race  in  a  religion  whose  doctrines,  discipline, 
language  and  ritual  are  everywhere  the  same. 

Is  there  any  other  body  of  Christians  which  is  thus  One  and  Uni- 
versal? None.  All  other  Christian  Churches  are  local  or  national; 
but  the  Church  of  Peter,  though  "Roman  in  its  centre,  is  Catholic 
in  its  circumference."  The  Church  of  England  is  consoling,  beau- 
tiful and  inspiring  precisely  in  those  features  which  it  borrows  or 
inherits  from  Catholicism,  yet  it  reminds  me  of  a  costly  lamp,  hung 
in  a  small  side-chapel  of  a  vast  cathedral.  It  certainly  emits  a  mel- 
low radiance,  but  its  pale  light  illumines  only  a  restricted  area,  falls 
on  comparatively  few,  and  grows  continually  fainter  with  advancing 
years. 


« I 


Chapter  XIV 

DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED^PAPAL  INFALLIBILITY 

"Either  Christianity  is  divinely  preserved,  or  it  is  not.  If  it  be  di- 
vinely preserved,  we  have  a  divine  certainty  of  faith.  If  it  be  not 
divinely  preserved,  its  custody  and  its  certainty  now  are  alike 
human,  and  we  have  no  divine  certainty  that  what  we  believe  was 
divinely  revealed." — Cardinal  Manning. 

"I  never  could  understand  how  the  Church  could  be  infallible,  and 
its  head  liable  to  be  mistaken." — Rev.  Robert  Suffield,  Unitarian 
Minister. 

"What  binds  me  to  the  Catholic  Church  is  the  continuous  line  of 
Bishops  down  to  the  present  Pope." — St.  Augustine. 

HAVING  come  thus  far,  and  having  satisfied  myself  that 
neither  in  rationalised  Lutheranism,  nor  in  discordant  Sec- 
tarianism, nor  even  in  divided  Anglicanism  could  I  find  that 
Authority,  Unity  and  Catholicity  which  I  desired,  why  did  I  not 
at  once  become  a  Catholic? 

Alasl  those  seekers  after  Truth  who,  like  myself,  have  stood  upon   * 
the  threshold  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  heirs  to  the  prejudices  of    ; 
their  youth,  and  shrinking  from  offending  relatives  and  friends,  well   \ 
know  how  every  social,  scientific  and  theological  objection  is  laid 
hold  of  by  the  trembling  soul,  as  an  excuse  for  further  hesitation  and 
delay.   Nor  are  these  various  objections  figments  of  the  fancy.   They    t 
are  real,  and  must  be  resolutely  faced  and  overcome.    How  these 
were  met  and  vanquished  in  my  own  case  naturally  forms  a  further  l 
portion  of  this  narrative. 

Fearing  to  make  the  all-important  decision,  until  these  problems 
had  been  solved,  I  turned  to  grapple  with  them.  They  principally 
grouped  themselves  round  certain  dogmas  of  the  Church,  which 
constitute  essential  articles  of  Catholic  Faith.  It  is  the  custom  now 
among  some  varieties  of  Protestants  to  look  upon  dogmas  as  unim- 
portant. This  has  not  always  been  the  case.  On  the  contrary, 
Luther's  great  doctrine  was  that  men  are  saved  and  justified  by 
faith  alone,  and  that,  provided  suitable  dogmas  are  believed,  good 
works  are  quite  superfluous.  Now,  however,  his  followers  tend  to 
the  other  extreme,  and  are  fond  of  asserting  that  it  does  not  matter 
what  one  believes,  provided  the  life  one  leads  is  exemplary.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  however,  in  theological  thought  (as  in  all  thought), 
accuracy  of  expression  is  as  necessary  as  accuracy  of  reasoning. 
Clear,  unequivocal  statements  of  conclusions,  mutually  arrived  at 
and  accepted,  are  essential  to  any  body  of  believers.  Such  clear 
and  unequivocal  statements  are  its  dogmas,  and  are  as  necessary  to 

MS  / 


146 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


n 


»j ' 


i 


the  Church  as  bones  are  to  the  human  frame  to  hold  rts  flesh 
together. 

Now  it  is  conceded  by  all  Christians  that  the  Saviour  sent  His 
Apostles  into  all  the  world'*  to  teach  mankind  the  truths  of  His 
Revelation.  But  to  teach  is  to  define,  and  there  can  be  no  definite 
teaching  without  something  definite  to  teach.  That  "something 
defimte     is  Dogma.     Cardinal  Manning  states  this  truth  admir- 

ably:—  All  knowledge  must  be  definite Is  not  this  true  in 

every  kind  of  knowledge?    What  would  a  mathematician  think  of 

-a  diagram  which  is  not  definite?  .  .  .  What,  again,  is  history  which 

is  not  definite?    History  which  is  not  the  record  of  definite  facts 

is  mythology,  fable  and  rhapsody What  are  moral  laws  which 

are  not  definite?  A  law  which  is  not  definite  carries  with  it  no 
obligation.  And  as  in  human  knowledge,  so  above  all  in  Divine 
If  there  be  any  knowledge  which  is  severely  and  precisely  definite 
It  IS  the  knowledge  which  God  has  revealed  of  Himself.  Finite 
indeed  it  is,  but  definite  always"  ("The  Grounds  of  Faith,"  pp.  5,  6). 
But  if  Christ's  dogmas  are  to  be  defined  and  taught,  the  teachers 
authorised  to  teach  and  to  define  them  must  have  been,  and  must 
still  be,  preserved  from  stating  them  erroneously.  To  begin  with 
the  Apostles  whom  Christ  Himself  sent  into  the  world  "to  teach  all 
nations"  must,  in  this  respect,  have  been  infallible,  and  there  is 
not  the  slightest  doubt  that  those  Apostles  claimed  for  themselves 
such  an  infallibility. 

St.  Paul,  for  example,  says:— "Though  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven 
preach  any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have  preached 
unto  you,  let  him  be  accursed"  (Gal.  i.  8).  To  make  sure  that 
his  words  would  be  understood,  he  even  repeats  them  thus:— "As 
I  said  before,  so  say  I  now  again:— If  any  man  preach  any  other 
Gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye  have  received,  let  him  be  accursed.' " 
St.  John  also  writes:— "If  there  come  any  unto  you,  and  bring  not 
this  doctrine,  receive  him  not  into  your  house,  neither  bid  hun 
God-speed"  (2  John  10). 

But  the  same  Divine  preservation  from  doctrinal  error  must  have 
been  also  true  of  the  successors  of  the  Apostles.  Can  we  suppose 
that  Christ  would  give  the  early  Christians  infallible  teachers,  yet 
leave  succeeding  generations,  century  after  century,  to  be  instructed 
by  faUible  ones?  On  the  contrary,  Christ  not  only  commissioned  the 
original  leaders  of  His  Church  to  teach  His  Revelation,  but 
promised  them  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  "all  days  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world."  It  was  natural,  therefore,  that  the  Apostles 
should  make  provision  for  the  work  of  their  successors,  when  they 
themselves  should  have  passed  away,  and  this  provision  they  certainly 
made.  The  form  of  Church  government  established  by  them,  under 
God's  guidance,  was  that  of  Bishops,  or  "Overseers"  (iniai^mi,) 


i 

i 


^1 


^•1 


DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED  147 

and  their  subordinates.     Already  in  the  earliest  times  we  read 
(Acte  XX.  28-30):— "Take  heed,  therefore,  unto  yourselves  and  to 
all  the  flock,  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers 
to  feed  the  Church  of  God."  ' 

Somewhere,  therefore,  on  this  planet  this  Church  of  God  must 
still  be  in  existence,  and  must  be  the  custodian  of  Christian  truth, 
as  Christ  delivered  it  and  meant  it  to  be  taught,  and  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  preserved  it.  One  Church  alone  has  claimed  from  the 
beginning  to  be  that  custodian,  and  this  is  the  Apostolic,  Roman, 
Catholic  Church,  which  dates  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  None 
other  claims  the  right  to  speak  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals,  as 
with  the  voice  of  God.  But  the  Catholic  Church  cannot  do  other- 
wise, for  it  holds  that  the  faith  of  the  Apostles  was  entrusted  to  it 
by  Christ  Himself  and  also  by  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, and  that  these  fundamental  dogmas  have  been  protected  ever 
since  that  time  from  error  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  Christ  promised 
should  be  the  case.  These  dogmas  form  a  definite  deposit  of  revealed 
facts,  which  were  imparted  once  for  all,  and  may  be  neither  changed 
nor  repudiated.  If,  then,  the  Catholic  Church  were  to  renounce  by 
one  jot  or  tittle  its  claim  to  be  this  visible  and  infallible  custodian, 
whose  privilege  it  is  to  preserve  the  truth  and  to  teach  it  with 
authority,  it  would  immediately  sink  to  the  level  of  the  schismatic 
and  heretical  bodies,  in  which  authoritative  doctrine  and  discipline 
have  disappeared. 

I  asked  myself,  therefore:— "Do  I  believe  that  the  Saviour  has 
kept  His^  promise,  and  that  His  Spirit  has  really  remained  in  His 
Church,  in  order  to  guide  it  into  all  truth  and  to  preserve  it  from 
error?" 

My  answer  was:— "I  must  believe  it,  or  else  hold  either  that 
Christ  has  not  been  truthful,  or  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  done  His 
work  imperfectly.  Either  of  these  hypotheses  was  untenable.  How, 
then,  could  I  escape  the  conclusion  that,  in  the  sphere  of  faith  and 
morals,  the  Church,— directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,— is  preserved 
from  error,— in  other  words,  is  infallible?  I  could  not  escape  it.  It 
is  logical  and  necessary  that  the  Catholic  Church  should  claim  to 
be  protected  supernaturally  from  erroneous  doctrine;  for  if  it  did 
not  make  that  claim,  it  would  deny  or  doubt  the  promises  of  Christ. 
Belief  in  the  infallibility  of  the  Church  is  a  belief  that  Christ  has 
kept  His  word. 

The  Protestant  writer  Mallock— the  author  of  "Is  Life  Worth 
Living?"— truly  says:— "Any  supernatural  religion  which  renounces 
its  claim  to  absolute  infallibility,  can  profess  to  be  a  semi- 
revelation  only.  In  so  far  as  it  professes  to  be  revealed,  it,  of  course, 
professes  to  be  infallible.  But  if  the  revealed  part  be  hard  to  dis- 
tinguish and  understand;  if  it  may  mean  many  things;  and  if  many 


i 


H 


I  . 


• 


148 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


of  those  things  are  contradictory;  it  might  just  as  well  have  never 
been  made  at  all,  if  it  has  no  interpreter.  ...  To  make  it  an  in- 
fallible revelation,— or  in  other  words,  a  true  revelation  at  all  to 
us,-— we  need  a  power  to  interpret  the  testament  itself." 

In  view  of  this  need,  God  has  given  men  that  power  of  interpreta- 
tion; for,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  promised  Holy  Spirit  came 
to  the  young  Church  for  the  special  purpose  of  teaching  it,  guiding 
it  into  all  truth,  and  abiding  with  it  for  ever.  Christ's  words  on 
this  point  are  unmistakable:— "I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall 
give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever, 
—even  the  Spirit  of  truth.  ...  But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the 
Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name,  he  shall  teach 
you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance  whatso- 
ever I  have  said  unto  you.  .  .  .  When  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come, 
He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth''  (St.  John  xiv.,  xv.). 

Now  what  Church  was  this,  to  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  thus 
promised  as  Divine  Teacher  and  Guide?  Evidently  the  only  Church 
existing  at  the  time,  the  only  one  whose  proofs  are  unassailable, 
the  ancient.  Apostolic  Catholic  Church,  whose  grand  supremacy 
endured  unchallenged  for  so  many  centuries,  and  from  which  the 
Protestants  separated  four  hundred  years  ago.  Whence  come  the 
countless  subdivisions  among  these  Protestants,  except  from  their 
disbelief  in  the  supernatural  guidance  of  the  Church  by  the  Holy 
Spirit?  If  that  belief  had  been  maintained  in  Luther's  time,  there 
would  have  been  no  schism  from  the  Mother  Church. 

Reduced  to  the  last  analysis,  the  Reformation  was  a  revolt  against 
belief  in  that  promise  of  Christ,  But  to  abandon  thus  the  original 
Church,  to  which  He  had  pledged  the  Holy  Spirit's  guidance  and 
protection  for  all  time,  was  to  insult  that  Spirit  by  doubting  either 
His  presence  or  His  efficacy! 

How  can  those  who  deliberately  separate  themselves  from  the 
original  Church  be  certain  that  they  have  not  lost  the  sanctifying 
and  illuminating  Presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  The  promise  was 
not  made  to  separate  individuals,  or  to  a  congeries  of  differing  sects, 
but  to  one  Church,  for  wfiose  entire  unity  its  Founder  prayed  plead- 
ingly almost  with  His  latest  breath.  Not  independent,  private  judg- 
ment, but  the  Spirit  of  God,  was  to  guide  the  Church  into  all  truth. 
But  in  this  Church  of  Christ,  as  in  every  government  and  properly 
organised  institution  on  earth,  there  must  exist  an  ultimate  authority, 
which  shall  decide  when  bishops  disagree.  As  a  nation  has  its  re- 
sponsible ruler,  a  judiciary  its  supreme  court,  an  army  its  com- 
mander-in-chief, and  a  ship  its  captain,  so  must  the  Catholic  hier- 
archy have  a  responsible,  recognised  Head,  who  shall  give  a  final 
decision  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals.  And  this  has  always  been 
the  case. 


"i 


If 


DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED 


149 


Among  the  Apostles  this  place  was  held  by  Peter,  to  whom  Christ 
uttered  the  impressive  words* — "Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this 
Rock  I  will  build  My  Church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre- 
vail against  it.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound 
in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed 
in  heaven."  These  words  of  Christ  are  alone  sufficient  to  prove  that 
Peter  was  designed  by  Him  to  be  the  leader  of  the  Apostles;  but 
there  are  also  many  other  indications  that  he  was  so  regarded,  not 
only  by  his  Master,  but  likewise  by  his  associates.  Significant  is 
Christ's  thrice-repeated  question  to  him: — ^"Simon  Peter,  lovest  thou 
Me?" — a  question  which  was  once  supplemented  by  the  words 
"more  than  these?" — that  is,  more  than  these  other  disciples  love 
Me?  On  receiving  Peter's  answer  to  this  inquiry,  Jesus  immedi- 
ately gave  to  him  the  commission: — ^"Feed  My  sheep;  feed  My 
lambs."  The  Saviour  apparently  required  greater  love  from  Peter, 
precisely  because  He  was  about  to  raise  him  to  an  especially  exalted 
post, — that  of  Chief  Shepherd  of  His  flock.  His  Church. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that  whenever  the  names  of  the  Apostles 
are  enumerated  in  the  Gospels  or  in  the  Acts,  Peter's  name  always 
heads  the  list.  Thus  in  St.  Matthew's  Gospel  (x.  2)  the  list  begins 
with  the  words: — "The  first,  Simon,  who  is  called  Peter."  This 
qualification  *Tirst"  must  denote  leadership,  for  in  point  of  time 
Peter  had  not  been  the  first  of  the  disciples  to  come  to  Jesus.  His 
brother  Andrew  had  not  only  preceded  him,  but  had  actually  brought 
him,  later,  to  the  Saviour  (St.  John  i.  40-42).  Even  when  there 
is  no  specific  enumeration  of  the  Apostles,  Peter  is  always  mentioned 
first,  as  if  his  precedence  were  a  matter  of  course.  Thus,  in  St. 
Mark  i.  36  we  read: — "Simon  and  they  who  were  with  him  fol- 
lowed Him."  In  St.  Luke  (ix.  32)  also  we  find: — ^'^But  Peter  and 
they  that  were  with  him  were  heavy  with  sleep."  Even  if  only  the 
three  most  intimate  disciples  are  spoken  of  the  order  is  "Peter, 
and  John  and  James."  So  also  in  Acts  ii.  29  we  find: — "Peter  stand- 
ing up  with  the  eleven,"  and  (v.  29): — "Peter  and  the  Apostles 
answered."  In  Acts  x.  occurs  the  account  of  a  direct,  thrice- 
repeated  revelation  made  from  God  to  Peter  only.  In  fact,  in  his 
first  description  of  this  vision  Peter  distinctly  says: — ^''God  hath 
shown  me  that  I  should  not  call  any  man  common  or  unclean"; 
while  in  his  second  allusion  to  the  vision  (Acts  xv.)  it  is  stated  that 
when  the  elders  and  Apostles  had  come  together  Peter  rose  up  and 
said: — ^**Men  and  brethren,  ye  know  how  that  a  good  while  ago 
God  made  choice  among  us,  that  the  Gentiles  by  my  mouth  should 
hear  the  word  of  the  Gospel  and  believe."  And,  when  Peter  had 
finished  his  discourse  on  this  occasion,  "all  the  multitude  kept 
silence."    Peter  also,  as  being  the  one  who  had  authority  to  do  so. 


150 


f  * 

t 
I 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


i 


i 


i| 

f 

I 

1 


passed  judgment  upon  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  who  had  sworn  falsely 
to  the  Apostles;  and  so  great  was  the  effect  of  their  immediate  death 
and  other  deeds  performed  by  Peter,  that  (Acts  v.)  the  sick  were' 
brought  mto  the  streets  and  laid  on  couches  there,  that  at  least  his 
shadow  might  fall  upon  them. 

It  was  from  Peter's  boat  that  Jesus  addressed  the  multitude  (St 
Luke  V.  3);  it  was  to  Peter,  as  the  evident  leader  of  the  little 
band,  that  the  tax-gatherers  came  and  asked:— "Doth  not  your 
master  pay  tribute?";  and  it  was  Peter  whom  Christ  commissioned 
to  pay  the  tribute  money  (St.  Matt.  jvii.  24-27).    Of  Peter  espe- 
cially ,t  IS  recorded  :-"The  Lord  is  risen  indeed,  and  hath  appeared 
mto  Smon  J  and  the  angel  at  the  sepulchre  bids  the  women  to  go 
and  tell  the  d.sciples  "and  Peter''  that  the  Lord  goes  before  them  into 
Gahlee.    The  Saviour  said  also  that  He  had  prayed  particularly  for 
Peter,  that  his  faith  should  not  fail,  and  then  commanded  Mm  to 
confirm  the  brethren.    This  command  in  itself  implies  a  certain 
superiority,  but  it  was  intensified  by  the  words  of  Christ,  when 
Peter  gave  utterance  to  that  article  of  faith  which  is  the  corner- 
stone of  the  Christian  Church:-«Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
living  God.      Thereupon  Jesus  immediately  called  him  "blessed" 
and  added  :-«Flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee,  but 
My  Father  which  IS  in  heaven."    Christ  Himself,  therefore,  declared 
that  God  the  Father  had  made  this  direct  and  special  revelation  to 
Peter,  and  on  the  strength  of  this  fact  Jesus  at  once  vouchsafed  to 
him  the  wonderful  declaration  and  prophecy  in  reference  to  the 
building  of  His  Church.    We  cannot,  therefore,  wonder  that  the 
supremacy  of  Peter,  and  naturally  that  of  his  direct  episcopal  sue- 
cessors,  has  been  the  constant  tradition  of  the  Church 

.J^'  ^u7^^^T' '"  ^^  ^^"^  ^"""y  0°  Penance,  sjieaks  of  Peter 
thus:--  Peter  himself,  the  chief  of  the  Apostles,  the  first  in  the 
Church  ;  and  agam:-"When  I  name  Peter,  I  name  that  unbroken 
rock,  that  firm  foundation,  the  great  Apostle,  the  first  of  the 
disciples.  Again:— "After  so  great  an  evil  (the  denial].  He  again 
raised  him  to  his  former  honour,  and  entrusted  to  his  hand  the 
primacy  over  the  universal  Church."  Eusebius  also  (a.d.  324)  in 
his  Chronicle"  (11.  150),  writes:-"The  Apostle  Peter,  when  he  had 
first  founded  the  Church  of  Antioch,  sets  out  for  the  city  of  Rome 
and  there  preaches  the  Gospel,  and  stays  there  as  prelate  of  the 

Church  for  twenty  years He,  Peter,  besides  the  Church  of 

Antioch,  also  first  presided  over  that  in  Rome  until  his  death." 

St.  Leo  (Pope  440-461)  is  still  more  emphatic.    He  writes  ("S 
Leo  ad  Marc,"  Epis.   78):— "Peter  was  Prince  of  our  Lord's 
Apostles.    Peter's  see  was  Rome.    Peter's  successor  I  am.    Peter 
devolved  upon  his  successors  the  universal  care  of  all  the  churches. 
Mjr  solicitude  has  no  bounds  but  the  whole  earth.    There  is  no 


I 


I'' 


DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED 


*5i 
church  under  Heaven  which  is  not  committed  to  my  paternal  car* 

Romi  W     ''.•    '?r'  "^^  ^"^'^  ^'"'^  ^  »^t  °f  the  Bishops  of 
Rome,  have  mentioned  Peter  as  the  first.    Thus,  St.  Augustine  when 

enumera  ing  the  Bishops  who  had  governed  the  Church  of  Rome 
begins  with  the  words:-"We  reckon  from  Peter;  and  to  Peter  suc- 
ceeded Linus;  to  Linus  succeeded  Clement,  and  so  on"  (Epfe   « 
ad  Generosum).    The  Apostolic  succession  from  St.  Peter  is  in  fact' 

irSn^'  T  'r  °'  ^"^"'^"^^  ^>«''  P-ticularly  1 1£  M 
of  England,  which  attempts  to  derive  her  Apostolic  orders  solelv 

thro^ugh  that  succession  in  the  Catiiolic  Church  for  fifteen  hundred 

Nor  is  there  any  longer  any  reasonable  ground  for  doubt  that 
S  .  Peter  was  actually  Bishop  of  Rome.    The  historical^    o 
his  residence  and  death  there  is  now  admitted  by  practiaJW  al 

wSSr  RarnL^"' H  r  ".''t""'^-  Lightfoot,'Ei;icott1ir:; 

R.n!n  w-  ?  ^  and  Gore  in  England;  and  on  the  Continent 
Renan,  Wiesler,  Harnack,  Hilgenfeld,  Thiersch  and  Ewald.-accept 
.t  as  unquestionable.    The  Roman  archa.,logist,  Lanciani   s^ys:- 

pI?A  /•' V'^  ^  ^^f  '^^  P'"'^"'^*  ^"'J  execution  of  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul  in  Rome  artifacts  established  beyond  a  shadow  of  doubt  by 
purely  monumental  evidence.  ' 

mad?raWt\ '™'  "!""  P'.'°"'  ''"'""^'"S  ^"^  '^"^««»t  creeds 
twff    .  \^  °f  consciente  to  affirm  or  to  deny  a  priori 

those  facte,  according  to  their  acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  tradition 

nLr/t  ?"■  ?."'='•  u™^  '''''  ''  f«^«"S  '^  «  matter  of  S; 

Sve  ii  ,t  f  r  Tr  °  ^"'^  ^°"°'^^'^  '^'  P™g'^^^  °f  recent 
discoveries  and  of  critical  hterature The  fact  was  so  eenerallv 

^iJ^!.  f  "r'^V*"'  ^'\*^"""^  '^  ^"'«  ^  precise  sratfmento^ 
It,  because  nobody  dreamed  that  it  could  be  denied.    How  is  it  pos- 

fl.  !•  .r^,^:"^  ^^''\  ^'  P"'""'^*'  ^^""'^^  <^!d  not  know  the  placVof 
the  death  of  lU  two  leading  Apostles?"    (See  much  more  on  tKb- 

M8 )  '      ^^°  ^'"''''^"  ^'""''"  PP-  "3-129.  140, 

nnw/'^T*'''  «T  *!•''  '"^*''*  ^'^"^^  ^*™'"g  sPoJ^e  the  following 
3e^^7  ;rli' •  ^^^'T  Y^'  but  the  primacy  of  Rome  has  been 
denied  from  the  beginning.'  Then  it  has  been  asserted  from  the  be- 
gmmng.    Tell  me  that  the  waves  have  beaten  upon  the  shore,  and 

VSoZ  TfX^;!%T  ''"  '"  '''  """  *°  '"*  "^''" 
To-day,  after  an  historic  Papacy  of  nearly  two  thousand  years 
there  site  within  the  Vatican,  as  the  Head  of  the  Catholic  ApoSTc 

and  sixty-first  successor  of  St.  Peter,  Pope  Benedict  XV.  If  there- 
fore we  believe  that  Christ  has  kept  His  promise,  and  tiiat  the  Hohr 
Spint  has  directed  the  decisions  of  His  Church  in  mtters  of  MthZ 


IS2 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


DIFFICULTIES  SURMOUNTED 


153 


I 


morals  through  the  centuries,  can  we  suppose  that,  when  this  or  any 
other  Supreme  Head  and  Pastor  of  that  Church  formally  defines  a 
doctrine  to  the  world,  he  is  not  guarded  by  the  grace  of  God  from 
proclaiming  error? 

But  if  we  do  believe  that  he  is  thus  guarded,  then  we  believe  the 
Church's  much  misunderstood  and  bitterly  criticised  dogma  of 
Papal  Infallibility,  for  that  is  all  it  means. 

The  Church  does  not  require  anyone  to  believe  that  the  Pope  is 
infallible  as  a  man,  an  author,  a  statesman,  a  legislator,  or  a  dis- 
ciplinarian. In  all  such  spheres  of  thought  and  action  he  is  liable  to 
error,  like  other  mortals.  On  all  such  subjects  different  Popes  may 
have  diverse  opinions.  The  essential  point  is  that  they  are  protected 
from  proclaiming  error  in  their  formal,  ex  cathedra,  definition  of 
faith  and  morals. 

If  Popes  were  to  contradict  each  other  in  matters  of  doctrine,  as 
Anglican  Bishops  do,  they  certainly  could  not  be  considered  infallible 
in  such  matters.  But  they  do  not  thus  contradict  each  other.  Not 
one  genuine  instance  can  be  given,  in  which  a  Pope  has  condemned 
a  doctrine  which  had  ever  really  been  taught,  ex  cathedra,  by  any 
of  his  predecessors. 

One  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  the  Infallibility  of  the  Pope  does 
not  mean  that  he  is  sinless.    The  Pope  is  liable  to  commit  sin,  be- 
cause, like  every  Catholic,  he  is  a  frail  human  being,  who  for  this 
reason  is  obliged  to  confess  to  a  priest  and  to  submit  himself  to  the 
Sacrament  of  Penance,  as  the  lowliest  of  his  flock  must  do.    Every 
day,  in  celebrating  Mass,  he  solemnly  confesses  at  the  steps  of  the 
altar  in  the  presence  of  the  people  that  he  is  a  sinful  man.    He  also 
begs  those  present  to  pray  to  God  for  him,  and  implores  God's 
mercy  through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    Later  still,  striking  his  breast, 
he  utters  the  words:— "Lord,  I  am  not  worthy  that  Thou  shouldest 
enter  under  my  roof,  but  say  only  the  word,  and  my  soul  shall  be 
healed."    This  is  a  part  of  the  daily  confession  of  the  Head  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  who  utters  it  while  bending  or  kneeling  before  the 
figure  of  his  crucified  God,  having  already  privately  confessed  his 
sins  to  some  priest,  inferior  in  rank  and  probably  younger  than  him- 
self.   To  say  of  any  such  aged  successor  of  St.  Peter,  who  daily 
utters  such  a  confession  and  such  prayers  as  these,  that  he  is  "the 
Man  of  Sin  and  Son  of  Perdition,  who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God"  is  both  wicked  and  foolish. 

Nevertheless,  some  Protestants  use  such  language  in  regard  to  him, 
and  the  Presbyterian  Westminster  Confession  describes  the  Pope  as 
"Antichrist  and  the  Son  of  Perdition";  and  in  Chapter  XXIV.  of 
that  Confession  there  can  be  found  the  following: — ^"Such  as  pro- 
fess true  and  reformed  religion  should  not  marry  with  infidels. 
Papists,  or  other  idolters."    Yet  not  so  long  ago  the  ancestors  of  the 


•i  \ 


>; 


V 


Y^' 


■\. 


^mif/' 


compilers  of  that  Confession  were  devout  believers  in  that  very 
Apostolic  Catholic  Church  which  now  they  bitterly  revile. 

Why  Protestants  should  call  the  Pope  "Antichrist"  is,  so  far  as  the 
term  is  explained  in  Scripture,  somewhat  difficult  to  see.  The 
Apostle  John  gives  in  several  places  an  exact  definition  of  Antichrist. 
Thus  he  says  (i  John  v.  22):— "He  is  Antichrist  that  denieth  the 
Father  and  the  Son."  "Every  spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus 
is  come  in  the  flesh,  is  not  of  God;  and  this  is  that  spirit  of  Anti" 
Christ,  whereof  ye  have  heard  that  it  should  come;  and  even  now  it 
is  in  the  world"  (idem  iv.  3).  "Many  deceivers  are  entered  into  the 
world,  who  confess  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh.  This  is 
a  deceiver  and  an  Antichrist"  (2  John  7).  The  heretics  here  de- 
nounced are  evidently  either  the  Arians,  who  denied  the  Divinity 
of  Christ,  or  the  Manichaeans  and  Gnostics,  who  denied  His 
humanity,  claiming  that  Christ  took  upon  Himself  only  the  sem- 
blance  of  man,  and  only  seemed  to  die  upon  the  Cross.  But  cer- 
tainly, whatever  else  the  Catholic  Popes  may  be  charged  with,  no 
one  can  truthfully  say  that  they  have  ever  denied  either  the  Divinity 
or  the  humanity  of  Christ,  or  the  fact  that  He  came  into  the  world. 
Such  a  charge  would  be  preposterous.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  precisely 
they,  and  they  alone  (for  there  was  then  no  other  Christian  Church), 
who  have  always  authoritatively  proclaimed  the  double  nature  of  the 
Incarnate  Son  of  God,  and  who  condemned  implacably  such  anti- 
Christian  heresies.  The  application  to  them  of  the  name  "Antichrist" 
is,  therefore,  a  senseless  calumny. 

The  truth  is,  the  conditions  for  salvation  are  the  same  for  the 
Pope  as  for  all  other  Christians.  But  his  is  a  less  easy  task  than 
theirs.  His  position  as  the  earthly  Head  of  the  Church  makes  his 
responsibility  almost  overpowering.  Even  his  life  is  insecure.  Out 
of  the  first  thirty  Pontiffs  in  Rome  twenty-nine  were  martyrs,  and 
whether  Benedict  XV.  will  also  meet  a  violent  death  cannot,  in  these 
appalling  days  of  anarchy  and  malignant  hatred  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  be  certainly  answered  in  the  negative. 

Comprehending,  therefore,  that  "Infallibility"  does  not  mean  that 
the  Pope  is  exempt  from  error  in  worldly  things,  but  merely  that, 
as  the  divinely  appointed  Pastor  of  Christ^s  Church,  he  is  pro- 
tected from  the  formal  enunciation  of  error  in  matters  of  faith  and 
morals,  the  dogma  of  Papal  Infallibility  presented  to  me  no  more 
difficulties.  On  the  contrary,  I  accepted  it  with  satisfaction  and 
relief* 


PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 


^5S 


Chapter  XV 

PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 

"Somewhere  thou  livest,  and  hast  need  of  Him ; 
Somewhere  thy  soul  sees  higher  heights  to  climb; 
And  somewhere  still  there  may  be  valleys  dim, 
That  thou  must  pass  to  reach  the  hills  sublime ! 

'Then  all  the  more,  because  thou  canst  not  hear 
Poor  human  words  of  blessing,  will  I  pray — 
O  true  brave  heart  1    God  bless  thee,  whereso'er 
In  His  great  universe  thou  art  to-day !" 

"They  pass  beyond  our  touch,  beyond  our  sight;  never,  thank  God 
beyond  our  love  and  prayers." 

Purgatory 

THE  difficulty  in  regard  to  Papal  InfaUibility  having  been 
overcome,  I  turned  to  consider  the  Catholic  doctrine  of 
Purgatory  and  the  Sacrament  of  Penance.  My  feelings  in 
respect  to  this  will  best  be  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  which  I  wrote  about  this  time  to  a  Catholic  friend. 

*'My  dear  FRANas: 

"I  find  no  special  difficulty  in  the  Catholic  dogma  of  Purga- 
tory.  On  the  contrary,  the  idea  of  a  state  of  purification,  appointed 
for  those  souls  who,  though  redeemed  by  Christ,  are  nevertheless 
still  unprepared  to  pass  at  once  into  God's  presence,  appears  to  me 
logical  and  even  comforting.  I  think  that  every  soul  who  feels 
his  own  unfitness  for  the  Beatific  Vision  (and  who  does  not  feel 
this?)  must  wish  for  such  a  state  of  preparation,  even  though  at- 
tended with  a  cleansing  punishment.  The  lack  of  this  idea  in 
Protestantism  leads,  I  think,  to  an  objectionable  feature  in  their 
system,--namely,  the  altogether  improbable  and  presumptuous  sup- 
position that  the  soul  of  some  monster  of  depravity  can  straightway 
enter  the  society  of  heaven,  provided  only  that  he  says,  at  the  last 
moment  of  his  ill-spent  life,  that  he  repents  and  believes  in  Jesus 
as  the  Son  of  God.  Christ's  Divine  insight  into  the  soul  of  the 
penitent  thief,  who  hung  beside  His  cross  on  Calvary,  could  justify, 
of  course.  His  promise  to  him  of  an  immediate  entrance  into  Para- 
dise; but  that  was  a  solitary  instance,  upon  which  one  can  hardly 
build  much  hope.  The  statement,  often  loosely  made,  that,  since 
'Jesus  paid  it  all,  all  the  debt  I  owe,*  a  hardened  criminal  is  thereby 
rendered  instantaneously  fit  for  Heaven,  is  dangerously  demoralising. 
The  Bible  assures  us  that  'there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the 
heavenly  City  of  God  anything  that  defileth,  or  that  is  defiled/  and 

X54 


■,^ 


»^ 


>:' 


the  acquisition  of  a  pure  character  is  not  the  affair  of  a  moment  by 
means  of  a  death-bed  repentance.  I  never  shall  forget  the  description 
in  a  Chicago  paper,  many  years  ago,  of  the  hanging  of  a  negro,  who, 
on  the  night  before  his  execution,  was  said  to  have  repented  of  a 
peculiarly  atrocious  crime,  and  'knew  that  he  was  saved.'  The  report 
was  heralded  by  the  flaring  headline  'Jerked  to  JesusM  This  blasphe- 
mous alliteration  probably  did  less  harm,  however,  than  the  sensa- 
tional story,  which  accompanied  it,  of  the  negro's  'edifying  remarks' 
which  preceded  his  death.  The  idea  of  such  a  wretch  going  at  once 
to  Heaven  was  revolting  to  a  sense  of  justice  and  even  of  decency 
No  Catholic  would  have  supposed  such  a  translation  probable,  or, 
save  for  a  miracle,  possible.  We  know,  of  course,  nothing  of  what  the 
purgatorial  state  may  be,  through  which  the  soul  must  pass,  to  reach 
the  sphere  to  which  God  calls  it ;  but  that  some  place  of  purification 
must  exist  for  those  who  pass  into  eternity  with  no  sufficient  spiritual 
preparation,  appears  to  me  just,  necessary  and  consoling," 

To  this  my  friend  replied  as  follows: — 

"I  well  remember  the  crudely  blasphemous  headline  which  you 
quote.  It  had  a  great  success,  and  was  accounted  'clever,'  though 
I  am  sure  its  ribald,  vulgar  character  shocked  all  in  whom  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  dignity  of  life  and  of  the  majesty  of  death  re- 
mained, even  though  they  had  no  positive  Christian  faith.  There 
is  little,  if  any,  analogy  between  the  case  of  the  wretched  negro  and 
that  of  the  penitent  thief,  for  the  latter  was  redeemed  by  his  humility 
and  faith.  He  did  not  'know  that  he  was  saved.'  He  confessed  his 
guilt  in  a  supreme  moment,  and  admitted  the  justice  of  his  punish- 
ment. Whether  or  not  the  grace  given  him  by  our  Lord  was  the 
only  one  ever  offered  him,  we  are  not  told;  but  to  this  opportunity 
at  least  he  did  respond,  and  by  a  single  aspiration  expiated  with 
his  dying  breath  a  life  of  crime.  That  the  consoling  doctrine  of 
Purgatory  should  appeal  to  you  does  not  surprise  me.  There  is 
hardly  a  religious  system  of  antiquity  in  which  some  similar  pro- 
vision is  not  found.  It  was  left  for  the  'Reformers'  of  the  sixteenth 
century  to  reject  this  immemorial  dogma  of  the  Church.  When 
they  denied  the  sanctity  of  the  Mass  and  many  other  sacramental 
features  of  Catholicism,  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory  went  with  the 
rest.  If  the  souls  of  the  dead  pass  instantly  into  an  eternally 
fixed  state,  beyond  the  efficacy  of  our  intercessions,  then  all  our 
requiems,  prayers  and  similar  practices  are  vain.  But  if,  on  the 
contrary,  we  believe  in  the  Communion  of  Saints, — that  is,  in  the 
intercommunion  of  the  three-fold  Church, — militant  on  earth, 
suffering  in  Purgatory,  and  triumphant  in  Heaven, — then  we  on 
earth  can  influence,  and  be  influenced  by,  the  souls  who  have  crossed 


■•'* 


156 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


the  border.  Few,  indeed,  quit  this  life  in  a  state  of  purity  and  grace 
which  warrants  their  immediate  entrance  into  Heaven.  Still  fewer, 
let  us  hope,  are  those  to  whom  the  blessed  refuge  of  Purgatory, — 
that  half-way  house  of  our  dead, —  is  closed.  I  cannot  conceive  how 
Protestants  can  believe  as  they  do  on  this  point,  nor  is  it  astonishing 
that  their  rejection  of  Purgatory  has  been  followed,  in  the  case  of 
many,  by  the  elimination  of  a  belief  in  Hell ;  for  the  latter  doctrine, 
taken  alone,  is  monstrous.  In  fact,  all  Catholic  doctrines  are  inter- 
dependent ;  they  stand  or  fall  together.  You  cannot  pick  stones  out 
of  the  arch,  and  expect  it  to  stand,  for  it  will  not  do  so.  Purgatory 
is  one  of  the  most  humane  and  beautiful  conceptions  imaginable. 
How  many  mothers'  aching  hearts  has  it  not  soothed  and  comforted 
with  hope  for  some  dead,  wayward  son!" 

Soon  after  receiving  this  letter,  I  read  the  following  words  from 
Mallock: — ^'^As  to  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory,  time  goes  on,  and  the 
view  men  take  of  it  is  changing.  It  is  fast  becoming  recognised, 
that  it  is  the  only  doctrine  that  can  bring  a  belief  in  future  rewards 
and  punishments  into  anything  like  accordance  with  our  notions  of 
what  is  just  and  reasonable;  and  so  far  from  its  being  a  superfluous 
superstition,  it  will  be  seen  to  be  just  what  is  demanded  at  once  by 
reason  and  morality."  My  attention  was  at  this  time  also  called  to 
the  fact  that  the  idea  of  Purgatory  is  no  longer  confined  exclusively 
to  Roman  Catholic  Christians.  At  a  recent  General  Convention  of 
Episcopalians  in  America  resolutions  looking  towards  prayer  for  the 
dead  were  defeated  by  only  a  very  small  majority. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  reference  to  Purgatory 
states  that  there  is  such  a  place,  in  which  souls  suffer  for  a  time, 
before  they  can  be  admitted  to  the  joys  of  Heaven,  because  they  still 
need  to  be  cleansed  from  certain  venial  sins,  infirmities  and  faults, 
or  still  have  to  discharge  the  temporal  punishment  due  to  mortal 
sins,  which  is  as  yet  uncancelled,  though  the  lasting  punishment  of 
those  sins  has  been  forgiven  and  removed  through  Christ's  atone- 
ment. Furthermore,  the  Church  declares,  that  by  our  prayers  and 
by  the  acceptable  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  we  may  still  help  those  souls, 
through  the  merits  of  Christ.  Beyond  this  statement  the  Church's 
formal  doctrine  does  not  go ;  but  it  is  not  an  article  of  Catholic  faith 
that  there  is  in  Purgatory  any  material  fire.  It  is  generally  be- 
lieved that  souls  in  Purgatory  suffer  spiritual  anguish  from  the 
fact  that  they  then  feel  acutely,  as  they  could  not  do  on  earth,  the 
perfect  happiness  from  which  they  are  for  a  time  excluded,  while 
they  must  also  understand  the  enormity  of  the  sins  which  they  com- 
mitted against  their  Heavenly  Father  and  their  Saviour. 


PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 


Indulgences 


157 


Unlike  the  doctrine  of  Piurgatory,  the  subject  of  Indulgences 
possessed  for  me  unusual  difficulties,  partly  because  it  was  asso- 
ciated in  my  mind  with  the  abuses  which  had  led  to  the  revolt  of 
Luther,  partly  because  the  modern  English  word  "indulgence" 
creates  in  the  non-Catholic  the  impression  of  a  culpable  relaxation 
of  some  needed  discipline.  The  term  "indulgent  father,"  for  example, 
is  almost  a  reproach.  Accordingly  I  resolved  to  talk  the  matter  over 
with  a  Catholic  theologian,  who  gladly  placed  himself  at  my  disposal. 

"Father,"  I  said  to  him,  as  we  approached  the  subject,  "what  is 
precisely  an  Indulgence?" 

"Let  me  first  tell  you  what  it  is  not*'  was  his  reply;  *'it  is  not  in 
any  sense  whatever  a  remission  of  sin, — past,  present,  or  to  come.  It 
has,  in  fact,  nothing  to  do  with  the  forgiveness  of  sin,  and  above  all 
it  does  not  mean,  as  is  sometimes  wickedly  asserted,  a  permission  to 
commit  sin  with  impunity  for  any  specified  period  of  time." 

"Not  in  any  sense  whatever  a  remission  of  sin, — ^past,  present, 
or  to  come,"  I  repeated  slowly;  "how  different  that  is  from  the 
definition  which  one  usually  hears!  Still,  it  is  a  remission  of  some- 
thing, is  it  not?" 

"Yes,  it  is  a  remission  of  some  portion  of  the  temporal  punish- 
ment due  for  sin." 

"Father,"  I  said,  "I  think  I  understand  what  is  theologically 
meant  by  'temporal  punishment,'  but  make  believe  that  I  do  not, 
and  kindly  tell  me  what  the  Church  considers  it  to  be." 

He  paused  a  moment,  and  then  said: — ^'^God's  punishment  of 
sin  chiefly  concerns  eternity;  the  Church's  punishment  is  limited  to 
time.  Indulgences  have  nothing  to  do  with  eternal  punishment. 
The  Church  believes  that  for  all  sins  committed,— even  though  they 
have  been  forgiven  by  God, — a  certain  amount  of  punishment  is  still 
due,  either  in  this  life,  or  in  Purgatory,  or  in  both.  In  this  respect 
she  acts  as  men's  tribunals  do.  A  criminal  may  be  sorry  for  his  sin, 
yet  he  is  not  on  that  account  discharged  from  earthly  courts  as 
guiltless.  On  the  contrary,  the  law  imprisons,  fines,  and  sometimes 
even  hangs  him  just  the  same,  whether  he  is  penitent,  or  not.  If 
mere  repentance  could  absolve  from  punishment  in  this  world  those 
who  have  committed  arson,  murder,  theft,  or  perjury,  it  would  be 
dangerous  for  society.  The  criminal  could  easily  feign  repentance, 
or  think  at  least  that  his  regret  for  sin  was  quite  the  same  as  true 
repentance  for  it.  These  sentiments  are,  however,  not  identical. 
One  may  feel  deep  regret  for  one's  misconduct,  yet  be  without 
repentance,  which  is  a  genuine  sorrow  for  the  act,  as  sin  against  God, 
combined  with  self-condemnation  and  a  determination  to  commit 
the  sin  no  more.    In  any  case,  society's  laws  of  self-defence  cannot 


i 


158 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


be  based  upon  subjective  feeling;  and  neither  could  the  Church 
maintain  her  discipline  thus,  for  God  alone  can  read  the  hearts  of 
men.  What  the  State  does  in  this  respect,  the  Catholic  Church  has 
always  done.  Sincere  contrition  is,  of  course,  required  for  absolu- 
tion; but,  in  addition  to  that,  the  Church  says: — 'Bring  forth  fruits 
worthy  of  your  professed  repentance;  give  evidence  of  your  sorrow 
by  expiation  of  some  sort.'  The  common  sense  of  mankind  approves 
of  such  a  course. 

"The  fatal  weakness  of  Luther's  doctrine  was  that  it  taught 
justification  by  faith  only.  We  say  that  good  works  also  are  neces- 
sary, and  that,  although  a  man  is  saved  through  Christ  alone,  never- 
theless that  'God  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works' 
(Rom.  ii.  6).  According  to  the  Protestant  theory,  no  proof  of 
repentance, — (to  be  given  through  penance  or  reparation), — is 
demanded.  The  doctrine, — ^*Jesus  paid  it  all,  all  the  debt  I  owe,' — 
is  thought  to  have  absolved  the  penitent  from  every  obligation  to  do 
penance  for  his  sinful  past.  Now  certainly  that  Christ  alone  could 
make  atonement  for  us  by  His  death  is  an  unquestionable  feature  of 
the  Catholic  Faith;  but  to  believe  that  our  salvation  from  eternal 
punishment  is  everything,  and  that  no  evidence  of  contrition  is  re- 
quired here,  is  demoralising.  How  many  Protestants  I  have  known, 
who  thought  that  their  belief  in  certain  dogmas  sufficed  to  counter- 
balance sins,  which  they  continued  to  commit,  relieved  by  nothing 
save  occasional  spasms  of  regret!  It  seemed  to  them  sufficient  to 
have  at  times  a  strong  subjective  sentiment  of  sorrow. 

"In  order  to  make  the  doctrine  of  Indulgences  still  clearer,"  the 
Father  continued,  "let  me  remind  you  that  every  civilised  Govern- 
ment in  the  world  takes  into  consideration,  when  dealing  with 
criminals,  that  in  most  cases  there  exist  extenuating  circumstances. 
These  sometimes  warrant  a  mitigation  of  the  usual  penalty,  and  the 
State  therefore  often  cancels  months  or  even  years  of  a  convict's 
sentence  on  account  of  good  behaviour.  Such  mitigation  on  the 
part  of  the  State  corresponds  to  the  Church's  Indulgences." 

"An  Indulgence,  then,"  I  said  tentatively,  "is  an  abbreviation  of 
the  sinner's  temporal  sentence?" 

"Precisely  so,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  is  that  what  is  meant,  for  example,  by  an  'Indulgence  of  a 
hundred  days'?" 

"Certainly." 

"But  now  the  Church  inflicts  no  punishment  of  a  hundred 
days." 

"No;  but  she  did  so  once,"  replied  the  priest;  "in  former  times 
the  Church's  penances  for  mortal  sins  were  very  severe.  They  often 
included  long  periods  of  excommunication,  as  well  as  fasting  on 
bread  and  water,  lengthy  pilgrimages,  and  the  like.    A  murderer  was 


PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 


159 


& 


sometimes  condemned  to  penance  for  twenty  years,  an  adulterer 
from  five  to  fifteen  years,  a  curser  of  his  parents  to  fast  on  bread  and 
water  for  forty  days.  But  when,  for  example,  a  sentence  of  a  hun- 
dred days  had  been  inflicted,  and  the  condemned  man  had  made 
partial  reparation  for  his  evil  conduct  by  works  of  charity  or  self- 
denial,  his  term  of  punishment  could  be  shortened,  at  the  discretion 
of  the  Bishop,  to  perhaps  fifty  days,  on  the  theory  that  he  had  done 
by  his  good  works  as  much  towards  the  payment  of  his  temporal 
punishment  as  if  he  had  undergone  the  penance  of  the  other  fifty 
days  also.  You  say  quite  rightly  that  the  Church  at  present  does 
not  give  such  punishments  as  she  formerly  did.  To-day  she  limits 
herself  to  ordering  prayers,  fasts,  almsgiving  and  similar  satisfactions. 
Nevertheless  the  principle  is  the  same,  and  an  'Indulgence  for  forty 
days'  means  that  as  much  of  the  temporal  punishment  inflicted  has 
been  paid  off  by  the  good  deeds  of  the  penitent,  as  would,  in  former 
times,  have  been  expressed  in  the  term  'forty  days* " 

"But  why  does  the  Church  continue  to  employ  that  ancient  mode 
of  reckoning?"  I  asked. 

"The  Church  is  conservative,"  was  the  reply,  "and  she  adheres  to 
the  old  expression,  because  through  many  centuries  the  amounts  of 
temporal  punishment  were  always  estimated  in  terms  of  days.  Hence 
'days'  have  come  to  be  the  Church's  standard  of  reckoning  the 
length  of  penances,  just  as  the  degrees  on  a  thermometer  are  used 
for  measurements  of  heat  and  cold." 

"Is  there  any  instance  in  Scripture,"  I  asked,  "of  the  infliction  of 
temporal  punishment  on  a  sinner,  who  had  been  already  pardoned 
by  God?" 

"Do  you  remember,"  replied  the  Father,  "what  the  prophet 
Nathan  said  to  King  David?  David  had  repented  of  his  heinous 
crime;  but  Nathan  told  him  plainly  that  this  was  not  sufficient. 
'The  Lord  hath  put  away  thy  sin,'  he  said  to  him,  'and  thou  shalt 
not  die.  Howbeit,  because  by  this  deed  thou  hast  given  great 
occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme,  the  child  that  is 
born  unto  thee  shall  surely  die';  and  although  David  besought  God 
to  spare  the  child,  and  fasted,  and  lay  all  night  upon  the  earth  in 
supplication,  nevertheless  'it  came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day  that 
the  child  died.' " 

"Why  do  not  Protestants  recognise  the  necessity  of  some  temporal 
punishment  for  sin?"  I  asked. 

"It  is  indeed  remarkable  that  they  will  not  do  so,"  he  replied; 
"and  it  is  stranger  still  that,  when  they  say  no  penitential  deeds 
whatever  are  necessary,  they  do  not  see  that  they  are  practically 
giving  to  their  flocks  a  plenary  Indulgence  for  all  time!  What  a 
hue  and  cry  they  would  make  if  we  did  such  a  thing!  The  truth 
is,  Protestants,  by  eliminating  all  need  of  penances,  all  belief  in 


i6o 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


1 


1 


Purgatory,  and  (at  present  almost  universally)  all  belief  in  Hell, 
have  fashioned  for  themselves  a  very  easy  system  of  religion.  They 
are  not  only  their  own  confessors,  but  also  their  own  judges  as  to 
whether  God  has  pardoned  them;  moreover,  they  lay  upon  them- 
selves no  works  of  expiation,  and  keep  discreetly  silent  about  any 
punishment  in  the  future  life!  Faith  is  considered  all-sufficient.  It 
is  a  demoralising  system.  No  wonder  that  many  of  them  hate  the 
Catholic  Church,  which  stands  before  them,  like  their  own  accusing 
consciences." 

"What  are  the  requisites  for  obtaining  an  Indulgence?"  I  in- 
quired. 

"First  of  all,"  answered  the  priest,  "the  applicant  for  an  In- 
dulgence must  have  confessed  his  sins  with  genuine  contrition,  and 
received  absolution.  An  Indulgence  always  presupposes  pardon,  and 
imless  the  applicant  is  in  a  state  of  grace, — that  is,  unless  he  has  been 
forgiven  and  restored  to  God's  friendship  and  favour, — ^he  has  no 
claim  to  an  Indulgence." 

"Whence  does  the  Church  derive  her  authority  to  remit  temporal 
punishment?"  I  asked. 

"From  the  same  words  of  Christ,  which  justify  the  giving  of 
absolution  in  God's  name,"  was  the  reply;  "they  are  Whatsoever 
ye  shall  bind  on  earth,  shall  be  bound  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  ye 
shall  loose  on  earth,  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven.'  Moreover,  St.  Paul, 
in  the  person  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  both  imposed  penance  and 
relaxed  it  in  the  case  of  a  sinful  member  of  the  Church  of  Corinth. 
He  really  granted  him  what  we  call  an  Indulgence,  by  shortening 
his  punishment,  and  readmitting  him  to  communion,  precisely  as  the 
Church  does  now." 

"But,"  I  objected,  "of  what  use  are  Indulgences  to  saintly  Chris- 
tians, whose  sins  are  so  exceedingly  rare,  that  their  temporal 
punishments  in  this  life  must  be  trifling?  Why  do  they  also  seek 
Indulgences?" 

The  Father  smiled.  "I  am  going,"  he  said,  "to  reveal  to  you  a 
very  beautiful  and  consoling  feature  of  the  Catholic  Church.  All 
Catholics,  and  many  Protestants  also,  repeat  every  Sunday  in  their 
Creed  the  words: — ^'I  believe  in  the  Communion  of  Saints.'  But 
what  use  do  the  Protestants  make  of  this  wonderful  dogma?  None 
whatever.  They  never  invoke  the  intercession  of  the  Saints  in  their 
behalf,  nor  supplicate  their  aid  in  the  great  battle  of  life  with  sin 
and  sorrow.  Some  of  them  even  doubt  whether  the  blessed  souls 
in  Heaven  know  what  is  going  on  here  I  Hence,  if  one  speaks  of 
having  been  influenced  or  aided  by  a  Saint,  Protestants,  as  a  rule, 
will  tap  their  foreheads  significantly,  and  hint  that  such  a  one  is 
'very  erratic'  or  incHned  to  spiritualism!  Catholics,  on  the  contrary, 
make  a  great  deal  of  this  doctrine;  and  among  the  privileges  con- 


PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 


i6i 


nected  with  it  in  their  minds  is  that  of  a  spiritual  treasury  of  saintly 
merits." 

"A  spiritual  treasury!"  I  repeated  in  astonishment;  "what  is  its 
nature,  and  what  are  the  merits  which  it  contains?" 

"Picture  to  yourself,"  he  answered,  "a  fund,  founded  originally 
by  Christ,  but  still  increased  by  separate  contributions,  large  and 
small,  paid  in  by  charitable  souls.  Imagine  that  this  fund  is  used 
to  ransom  captives  from  detention,  and  to  relieve  the  needy  and  the 
suffering."  He  paused.  "Do  you  see  where  we  are  coming  to?" 
he  asked. 

"Not  yet,"  I  answered;  "please  continue." 

"You  said  just  now,"  resumed  the  priest,  "that  there  are  pious 
souls,  who  do  far  more  by  deeds  of  mercy  and  self-sacrifice  than  is 
required  to  discharge  the  temporal  punishment  due  for  their  own 
sins.  But  shall  the  superabundant  merits  gained  by  them  remain 
unused?  Not  so;  the  Church  believes  that  all  such  merits,  credits, 
satisfactions, — call  them  what  you  will, — are  gathered  up  by  God 
into  a  fund  of  mercy,  love  and  grace,  which  Christ  can  then  apply, 
together  with  His  own  essential  merits,  to  struggling,  suffering  souls 
either  in  this  world,  or  in  Purgatory." 

"Was  this  a  custom  of  the  early  Church?"  I  asked. 

"It  was  her  custom  from  the  very  earliest  times.  A  striking 
illustration  of  it  was  given  by  the  Christian  martyrs,  who  often 
wrote  from  their  prisons  to  the  Church,  entreating  that,  by  reason 
of  their  own  courage  in  confronting  death,  the  time  of  penance 
inflicted  on  their  less  heroic  brethren  might  be  shortened.  Gradu- 
ally then,  as  these  and  other  martyrs  passed  to  their  reward,  the 
practice  was  extended,  so  that  such  superabundant  merits  might  be 
gathered  into  the  ^treasury  of  the  Church,'  to  be  appHed  either  to 
those  who  are  attempting  to  discharge  their  debt  of  temporal 
punishment  here,  or  else  to  those  still  suffering  in  Purgatory." 

"But  what  is  the  need  of  our  superabundant  merits,"  I  asked, 
"when  Christ's  own  merits  are  infinite  and  in  themselves  sufficient 
to  accomplish  everything?" 

"God  wishes  us,"  replied  the  priest,  "to  pray  for  others,  as  well 
as  for  ourselves.  The  doctrine  of  the  Church  is  that  we  can  assist 
our  friends  both  here  and  in  Purgatory  by  our  supplications,  and 
that  the  merits  which  we  earn  beyond  our  own  needs,  may,  through 
God's  grace,  be  employed  towards  the  completion  of  the  temporal 
punishment  which  those  who  are  dear  to  us  may  have  to  pay.  'Bear 
ye  one  another's  burdens,  and  thus  fulfil  the  law  of  Christ.'  There 
is  thus  formed  a  tender  bond  of  sympathy  between  ourselves  and  the 
Church  suffering,  as  well  as  with  the  Church  triumphant.  What  a 
blessed  privilege  it  is,"  he  continued,  "to  feel  that  by  some  act  of 
self-denial,  humiliation,  penance,  love,  death,  martyrdom, — one  is 


l62 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


not  merely  helping  on  one's  own  poor  soul,  but  may  help  those  of 
others  also!" 

This  was  a  presentation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Communion  of 
Saints  that  appealed  to  me  very  strongly,  and  I  asked: — ^'^May  not 
such  merits,  offered  for  the  dead,  serve  as  a  kind  of  expiation  jor  the 
harm  which  we  ourselves  have  done  them  while  in  life?" 

"Precisely,"  said  the  Father  eagerly;  "you  anticipate  what  I  was 
about  to  say.  Which  of  us  does  not  sometimes  shudder  at  the 
thought  of  deeds  in  our  own  past,  which  may  have  swelled  the  list 
of  sins  our  loved  ones  have  committed?  Which  of  us  does  not  feel 
that,  but  for  our  neglect  or  evil  influence,  some  soul  now  in  eternity 
would  have  sinned  less,  or  have  attained  a  nobler  character?  Who 
does  not  often  tremble  under  his  responsibility  for  part  at  least  of 
the  unholy  state  in  which  some  friend  has  passed  into  the  future 
life  to  stand  before  his  Judge?  What  can  we  do  for  them?  Merciful 
God!  are  they  for  evermore  beyond  the  efficacy  of  our  prayers? 
May  we  not  mitigate  their  penalty  by  doing  something  here,  since, 
if  they  are  now  suffering,  the  fault  is  partly  ours?  What  joy,  what 
comfort,  what  alleviation  of  remorse  shall  we  not  feel,  if  such  a 
possibility  is  realised!  What  a  stupendous  source  of  consolation, 
therefore,  is  this  spiritual  treasury,  whose  merits  God  may  graciously 
apply  to  those  whom  we  have  led  astray!" 

"A  beautiful  and  comforting  belief  indeed!"  I  said;  "but  can  a 
Catholic  be  certain  that  the  merits  which  he  gains  by  an  Indul- 
gence will  be  applied  to  those  particular  souls  for  whose  release  he 
longs?" 

"Over  God's  treatment  of  the  souls  in  Purgatory,"  said  the 
Father  gently,  "the  Church  has  no  control  or  knowledge.  The 
living  only  are  her  subjects.  The  dead  have  passed  beyond  her 
jurisdiction.  But  if  our  love  for  souls  is  great,  God's  love  for  them 
is  surely  greater,  and  we  can  offer  for  their  benefit  the  merits  that 
we  earn,  believing  that  our  Heavenly  Father  will  apply  them  to  the 
friends  for  whom  we  pray,  if  our  request  be  in  accordance  with  His 
infinite  wisdom." 

"The  enemies  of  the  Church  have  asserted,"  I  ventured  to  say 
(and  felt  ashamed  of  doing  so),  "that  Indulgences  can  be  pur- 
chased." 

"Never!"  exclaimed  the  priest  indignantly;  "yet  it  is  easy  to  see 
how  this  erroneous  idea  originated,  for  a  release  from  temporal 
punishment  is  sometimes  granted  on  condition  that  the  penance 
shall  be  in  the  form  of  almsgiving.  In  that  way  enemies  of  the 
Church  have  sought  to  justify  their  hideous  accusations  that  In- 
dulgences are  sold." 

"But  Tetzel?"  I  began,  and  hesitated. 


PURGATORY  AND  INDULGENCES 


163 


"Well,"  said  the  Father,  smiling,  "I  am  not  afraid  to  talk  of 
Tetzel.  His  purpose  was  at  least  a  good  one.  The  glorious  Church 
of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome, — the  pride  of  every  Catholic  heart,  and  the 
object  of  universal  admiration, — ^was  then  in  need  of  funds  for  its 
completion.  Hence,  in  accordance  with  the  practice  of  sometimes 
substituting  almsgiving  for  canonical  penance  (of  course,  after  due 
repentance  and  confession),  if  a  Catholic  made  then  for  that  church 
a  contribution  which  involved  some  sacrifice  of  self,  he  received 
release  from  a  certain  amount  of  the  temporal  penance  still  due  him 
for  sins  already  committed.  Tetzel,  as  a  Dominican  monk,  was 
authorised  to  make  collections  for  this  purpose,  and  to  give  In- 
dulgences to  those  who  deserved  them.  That  he  exceeded  his 
powers,  and  allowed  his  zeal  to  lead  him  into  imprudences,  may  have 
been  true.  If  so,  he  had  his  reward.  *Woe  unto  the  world,'  said 
Christ,  'because  of  offences!  For  it  must  needs  be  that  offences 
come;  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence  cometh.'  But 
recollect  that  if  abuses  occurred  in  the  dispensation  of  Indulgences 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  they  were  abuses, — not  a  regular  part  of 
the  Church's  system.  That  many  excellent  things  may  be  abused 
we  know  from  every  day's  experience;  and  if  we  should  condemn 
all  means  of  benefiting  poor  humanity  because  abuses  graft  them- 
selves upon  them,  charity  itself  would  soon  become  impossible.  The 
Council  of  Trent  promptly  repudiated  such  abuses,  and  declared 
that  all  Indulgences,  thus  obtained,  were  worthless.  If  Luther  had 
merely  protested  against  such  practices,  as  was  his  right,  and  if, 
while  remaining  in  the  Church,  he  had  worked  with  others  to  reform 
them,  he  could  have  done  great  good.  But  to  seek  to  destroy  a 
Church  because  it  has  some  faulty  members,  and  to  attack  a  bene- 
ficial dogma  because  of  some  abuses  which  have  gathered  round  it, 
is  as  unwise  as  to  desert  a  ship  because  its  keel  is  fouled  with 
barnacles." 

"What,  then,  is  your  last  word  to  me.  Father,  on  the  subject  of 
Indulgences?"  I  asked  him,  as  I  rose  to  go. 

The  theologian  paused  a  moment,  as  if  to  choose  the  most  appro- 
priate terms,  and  then  replied: — ^"It  is  a  precious  doctrine  of  great 
value,  but  it  is  liable  to  be  abused,  and  easily  misunderstood  by 
those  outside  the  Church.  Yet  we  should  not,  on  that  account,  dis- 
card it.  It  is  a  dogma  eminently  fitted  to  incite  men  to  good  works, 
— not  only  on  their  own  account,  but  also  for  the  sake  of  others. 
Make  use,  then,  of  this  unique  privilege,"  he  added,  as  he  pressed 
my  hand,  "and  remember, — ^*  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  he  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends! '  " 

Returning  from  this  conversation,  I  read  again  the  following 
stanzas,  which  I  had  had  in  my  collection  many  years:. — 


Msa 


164 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


IN  MEMORIAM 

O'er  land  and  sea  love  follows  with  fond  prayers 
Its  dear  ones  in  their  troubles,  grief  and  cares; 

There  is  no  spot 
On  which  it  does  not  drop  this  tender  dew, 
Except  the  grave,  and  there  it  bids  adieu, 

And  prayeth  not ! 

Why  should  that  be  the  only  place  uncheered 
By  prayer,  which  to  our  hearts  is  most  endeared. 

And  sacred  grown? 
Living,  we  sought  for  blessings  on  their  head ; 
Why  should  our  lips  be  sealed  when  they  are  dead. 

And  we  alone? 

Shall  God  be  wroth  because  we  love  them  still. 
And  call  upon  His  love  to  shield  from  ill 

Our  dearest,  best, 
And  bring  them  home,  and  recompense  their  pain. 
And  cleanse  their  sin,  if  any  sin  remain. 

And  give  them  rest? 

Nay,  I  will  not  believe  it.    I  will  pray, 
As  for  the  living,  for  the  dead  each  day. 

They  will  not  grow 
Less  meet  for  Heaven,  when  followed  with  a  prayer. 
To  speed  them  home,  like  summer-scented  air 

From  long  ago. 


Chapter  XVI 

THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 
"Confess  your  faults  one  to  another." — J  as,  v.  16. 

"He  that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper ;  but  whoso  confesseth 
and  forsaketh  them  shall  have  mercy." — Prcv.  xxviii.  13. 

"My  son,  give,  I  pray  thee,  glory  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  and 
make  confession  unto  Him;  and  tell  me  now  what  thou  hast  done; 
hide  it  not  from  me." — Josh,  vii.  19. 

THE  obligation  to  confess  one's  sins  to  a  priest  and  to  obtain 
from  him,  as  God's  appointed  agent,  absolution,  is  doubtless 
one  of  the  hardest  things  for  a  non-Catholic  to  submit  to. 
My  prejudices  against  the  Confessional  had  been  of  many  years* 
standing,  and  I  did  not  know  at  first  whether  I  could  ever  overcome 
them.  I  soon  saw,  however,  that  the  question  was  not  whether  I 
liked  the  system,  or  not,  but  wjiether  it  was  founded  on  Christ's 
teaching  and  the  command  of  the  Church, 

First,  did  Christ  establish  it?  I  had  to  acknowledge  that  He  did. 
His  words  are  unmistakable.  That  Christ  Himself  possessed  the 
power  to  forgive  sins  is,  of  course,  undisputed  by  any  Christian. 
When  He  healed  the  man  sick  of  the  palsy,  for  example.  He  said  to 
him: — ^''Son,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee";  and  to 
the  scribes,  who  thought  that  He  had  committed  blasphemy  in 
saying  this,  He  answered: — "That  ye  may  know  that  the  Son  of 
man  hath  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins,  .  .  .  Arise,  take  up  thy 
bed,  and  go  unto  thy  house"  (St.  Matt.  ix.).  But  Christ  said  also  to 
His  Apostles:— "As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you"; 
and  immediately  after  saying  this,  and  in  connection  with  those 
words,  He  added:— "Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost.  Whosesoever  sins 
ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye 
retain,  they  are  retained"  (St.  John  xx.  21-24).  In  equally  clear 
language  did  Jesus  also  say  to  St.  Peter:— "I  will  give  to  thee  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on 
earth,  it  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt 
loose  on  earth,  it  shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven."  Now  if  these 
words  mean  anything,  they  indicate  that  Jesus  gave  to  His  Apostles 
a  commission  to  forgive  sins  in  His  name;  and  since  that  act  would 
be  impossible  on  their  part,  if  they  did  not  know  what  sins  had  been 
committed,  these  must  at  first  be  made  known  to  them  through 
confession. 

It  is  also  noteworthy  that  the  duty  to  give  or  withhold  the  for- 
giveness of  sins,  as  His  representatives,  is  just  as  clearly  stated  as 

165 


I 


I 


i66 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


the  duty  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Since,  however,  it  was  manifestly 
impossible  for  the  first  Apostles  themselves  to  go  into  all  the  world 
and  bring  the  glad  tidings  to  everyone,  it  cannot  be  supposed  that 
the  duty  and  the  power  of  hearing  confessions  and  giving  absolution 
was  limited  to  those  men  only,  and  that  so  marvellous  a  source  of 
grace  and  mercy  should  be  closed  with  the  completion  of  the  Apostles' 
lives.  As  we  have  seen,  these  chose  their  own  successors,  who  in 
their  turn  selected  others  to  succeed  them,  thus  handing  down 
from  age  to  age  their  duties  and  prerogatives.  Thus  were  the 
words  of  Christ  in  reference  to  Confession  and  Absolution  in- 
terpreted by  the  early  Church,  and  thus  have  they  been  understood 
and  acted  on  for  nearly  two  millenniums.  The  system  has  the  full 
weight  of  ecclesiastical  tradition,  and  is  as  old  as  Christianity  itself. 

St.  Athanasius,  for  example,  says:— *'He  who  confesses  in  peni- 
tence, receives  through  the  priest  by  the  grace  of  Christ  the  remis- 
sion of  sins.  ...  If  our  chains  [of  sin]  are  loosed,  we  shall  go  on  to 
better  things;  if  yours  are  not  loosed,  go  and  give  yourself  into  the 
hands  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus;  for  they  are  here  who  can  loose  us, 
having  received  the  power  from  the  Saviour," 

Confession,  therefore,  not  merely  to  God  alone,  but  also  to  His 
authorised  representatives  in  the  Church,  is  the  system  instituted 
by  Christ,  and  bears  with  it  the  privilege  of  obtaining  from  them  in 
His  name  the  assurance  of  Absolution.  Now,  as  free  agents,  all  men 
and  women  can  accept  this  system,  or  reject  it;  but  if  they  reject 
it,  they  cannot  be  communicating  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
The  question  before  me,  therefore,  was  the  following:— "Will  you 
do  as  Christ  ordained  that  you  should  do,  or  will  you  not?"  At  first 
I  tried  evasively  to  argue  that,  as  numberless  Protestants,  who  be- 
lieve themselves  good  Christians,  confess  their  sins  to  God  alone, 
so  I  could  do  the  same.  But  I  had  come  by  this  time  to  regard 
the  Catholic  Church  as  the  only  true  descendant  of  the  Church  of 
the  Apostles,  and  I  wished  to  belong  to  that,  or  none.  Yet  to  do 
this  without  submitting  to  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  was  impos- 
sible. I  asked  myself,  therefore,  whether  my  prejudices  and  hostility 
to  this  Sacrament  might  not  be  groundless. 

While  trying  to  answer  this  question,  I  was  reminded  that  the 
system  of  Confession  and  Absolution  is  not  exclusively  Roman 
Catholic,  but  exists  in  the  Eastern  Orthodox  Church,  as  well  as  in 
all  the  earliest  separated  Oriental  bodies, — Copts,  Armenians, 
Maronites  and  others.  To  some  extent  also  it  exists  both  in  prin- 
ciple and  practice  in  the  Anglican  and  Episcopal  Churches.  Opening 
the  Anglican  Prayer-Book,  I  read  the  words  which  the  clergy  repeat 
every  day  in  the  service  of  Morning  Prayer.  The  section  is  headed 
with  the  sentence:— "TAe  Declaration  of  Absolution  or  Remission  of 
Sins''  ("To  be  made  by  the  Priest  alone,  standing,  the  People  still 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


167 


kneeling") :— "Almighty  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  desireth  not  the  death  of  the  sinner  .  .  .  hath  given  power 
and  commandment  to  His  Ministers,  to  declare  and  pronounce  to 
His  people,  being  penitent,  the  Absolution  and  Remission  of  their 
sins."  Moreover,  in  the  directions  given  to  Anglican  clergymen  for 
the  visitation  of  the  sick,  we  read  in  the  Prayer-Book  of  the  Church 
of  England  the  following: — ^"Here  shall  the  sick  person  be  moved  to 
make  a  special  confession  of  his  sins,  if  he  feels  his  conscience 
troubled  with  any  weighty  matter.  After  which  confession,  the 
Priest  shall  absolve  him  after  this  sort: —  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  hath  left  power  to  His  Church  to  absolve  all  sinners  who  truly 
repent  and  believe  in  Him,  of  His  great  mercy  forgive  thee  thine 
offences;  and  by  His  authority  committed  to  me,  /  absolve  thee 
from  all  thy  sins,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.    Amen." 

The  Church  of  England  lays  this  duty  of  Absolution  on  its 
priests  in  the  most  explicit  manner.  Every  one  of  her  clergymen, 
individually,  at  the  moment  when  he  kneels  and  receives  the  laying 
on  of  the  Bishop's  hands,  hears  the  words:— "Receive  the  Holy 
Ghost.  .  .  .  Whose  sins  thou  dost  forgive,  they  are  forgiven;  and 
whose  sins  thou  dost  retain,  they  are  retained."  Either  this  means 
an  awful  reality,  or  it  is  blasphemy.  Twice  every  day  the  Church  of 
England  bids  her  clergymen  remind  their  congregations  solemnly 
that  God  has  given  to  them  (the  clergy)  this  power,  and  commanded 
them  to  use  it!  How,  then,  can  any  Anglicans  and  Episcopalians 
denounce  the  system  of  Confession  and  Absolution  practised  in  the 
Catholic  Church,  when  it  is  not  only  permitted,  but  actually  com^ 
manded  in  their  own?  High  Church  Anglicans  are,  therefore,  con- 
sistent, when  they  institute  auricular  Confession  and  private  Abso- 
lution in  their  churches.  In  189 1  it  was  estimated  that  there  were  in 
England  566  such  churches. 

Those  who  do  not  approve  of  auricular  Confession  and  Absolu- 
tion, claim  that  it  is  sufficient  to  pronounce  a  general  Absolution  to 
the  assembled  congregation.    But  a  general  Confession  has  certain 
manifest  disadvantages.     Among  so  many  participants  each  indi- 
vidual loses  more  or  less  the  sense  of  personal  responsibility  and 
sorrow,  such  as  the  solitary  penitent,  face  to  face  with  his  confessor,  ^ 
must  experience.    How  little  the  soul  of  a  contrite  sinner  is  helped  by  . 
a  general  Confession  and  by  a  general  Absolution,  and  how  it  yearns  i 
to  receive  the  latter  from  a  competent  priest,  after  a  full  confession,  I 
has  been  testified  to  repeatedly.    One  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  j 
England  writes:— "I  believe  that  thousands  of  priests"    (of  the  ^ 
Anglican  Church)  "and  tens  of  thousands  of  lay  people  would  bear 
me  out  in  saying  that,  for  deepening  the  spiritual  life,  for  checking 
habits  of  sin,  for  a  safeguard  against  despair,  and  for  promoting  real 


z68 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


169 


f 


contrition  it"  (Sacramental  Confession)  "is,  to  their  certain  knowl* 
edge,  of  the  most  unspeakable  value"  (Newberry  House  Magazine^ 
vol.  vi.,  1892). 

The  famous  English  divine  the  Rev.  J.  Keble  also  says: — ^^'Our 
one  great  grievance  is  the  neglect  of  Confession"  (Coleridge's  "Life 
of  Keble").  Still  another  Anglican  clergyman  writes: — ^'The  hear- 
ing of  confessions  is  the  very  backbone  and  marrow  of  pastoral 
work.  .  .  .  Experience  shows  the  frequent  unreality  of  spiritual 
intercourse,  unless  in  some  degree  connected  with  Confession.  Mere 
religious  conversation  with  a  priest  .  •  .  has  simply  encouraged 
sentimentalism  and  degenerated  into  religious  gossip"  (Rev.  Charles 
Lowder  to  the  Bishop  of  London). 

Yet  this  attempt  of  High  Church  Anglicans  to  meet  a  heartfelt 
need  is  only  an  imitation,  and  not  the  real  thing.  In  the  Catholic 
Church  the  practice  is  regulated  by  a  severe  ecclesiastical  training 
and  a  supervision  which  in  the  Anglican  confession  are  unknown. 
Moreover,  the  idea  of  married  clergymen  acting  as  confessors,  under 
solemn  vows  of  secrecy,  can  hardly  be  entertained  seriously,  espe- 
cially as  Anglican  clergjonen  are,  compared  with  Catholic  priests, 
men  of  the  world,  in  the  sense  of  mingling  freely  in  worldly  sports 
and  fashionable  society. 

Of  course  all  Protestant  Non-Conformists,  who  constitute  (out- 
side the  Catholic  Church)  the  great  majority  of  Christians  at  the 
present  time,  repudiate  the  idea  of  private  Confession  and  Absolu- 
tion. But  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  they  can  reconcile  their  stand- 
point with  the  explicit  utterances  of  Christ  and  the  practice  of  the 
Church  for  centuries. 

/  "But  cannot  one's  sins  be  forgiven  by  confessing  them  to  God 
alone?"  I  one  day  asked  a  Catholic  friend.  "Undoubtedly,"  was 
\  the  reply;  "and  one  ought  every  day  to  confess  them  thus  to  God 
i  in  prayer;  but  Christ's  own  words  to  His  Apostles  plainly  teach 
j  that  this  is  not  all  that  Christ  intended  should  be  done.  St.  Augus- 
I  tine  says: — *To  pretend  that  it  is  enough  to  confess  to  God  alone,  is 
Ito  make  void  the  power  of  the  keys  given  to  the  Church,  and  to 
contradict  the  words  of  Christ  in  the  Gospel.' " 

Probably  one  reason  why  our  Saviour  did  not  think  such  private 
Confession  to  God  to  be  sufficient,  lies  in  the  fact  that  self-deception 
in  such  cases  is  so  easy. 

One  is  so  apt  to  consider  remorse  and  repentance  as  one  and  the 
same  thing!  Remorse,  however,  is  involuntary;  repentance  is  vol- 
untary, and  includes  a  genuine  sorrow  for  the  act,  as  sin.  Every- 
one is  inclined  to  fancy  that  his  penitence  is  sincere  and  that  his 
sins  are  pardoned,  if  no  one  else  is  aware  of  them,  and  if  no  one  else 
tests  his  professed  sincerity, — that  is  to  say,  if  he  is  himself  both 
judge  and  criminal/    But  a  dispassionate  confessor,  understanding 


i 


well,  through  many  revelations  of  the  human  heart,  the  weaknesses 
of  human  nature,  is  certainly  less  liable  to  be  deceived,  particularly 
as  he  is  bound  by  solemn  vows  to  judge  the  case,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  God. 

Moreover,  there  is  something  more  than  Confession  in  the  Catholic 
Sacrament  of  Penance.  That  is  only  the  fourth  part  of  it;  the 
other  three  factors  are  Contrition,  Absolution,  and  Satisfaction. 
The  last  is  very  important.  Catholic  dogma  claims  that  a  certain 
amount  of  temporal  punishment  is  due  in  this  world,  even  for  sins 
that  God  has  pardoned,  and  that  for  these  some  "satisfaction"  must 
be  made,  in  the  sense  of  reparation.  When  a  Protestant  confesses 
his  sins  to  God  alone,  even  though  he  be  genuinely  repentant,  his 
only  incitement  to  make  reparation  for  his  evil  deeds  is  his  own 
feeble  will.  The  Catholic  Church,  however,  has  from  the  very  be- 
ginning insisted  that  there  should  be  some  other  judge  of  the 
repentance  of  the  sinner  than  the  man  himself;  and  has  demanded 
of  the  pentinent  proofs  of  his  sincerity  in  the  form  of  penance, 
reparation  and  good  works.  Such  proofs  the  Protestant  rarely  thinks 
of  giving,  because  he  is  not  called  upon  to  do  so;  and  even  if  he 
should  voluntarily  impose  upon  himself  some  penance,  such  as  the 
restitution  of  ill-gotten  wealth,  reconciliation  with  his  enemies,  re- 
traction of  a  calumny  uttered,  the  renunciation  of  some  harmful 
pleasure,  or  the  avoidance  of  persons  or  occasions  tending  to  tempta- 
tion,— it  would  not  be  so  easy  for  him  to  carry  these  duties  into 
execution,  as  would  be  the  case  if  they  were  commanded  by  someone 
else,  who  subsequently  would  inquire  with  authority  whether  they 
had  been  done. 

Self-imposed  penances,  like  private  resolutions,  are  rarely  adhered 
to  long.  The  nature  and  amount  of  the  penance  imposed  by  a  con- 
fessor is  largely  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  priest,  who  is  specially 
trained  for  this  function;  for,  while  the  principle  of  Sacramental  Con- 
fession and  Penance  is  very  clearly  laid  down  in  the  New  Testament, 
the  precise  details  of  the  way  in  which  it  is  to  be  practised  are  left  to 
the  decisions  of  the  Church,  and  to  the  wisdom  and  experience  of 
those  to  whom  from  age  to  age  the  care  of  souls  has  been  confided. 

The  eloquent  Father  Burke  said  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance: — 
"Perhaps  the  devil  never  struck  a  more  severe  blow  at  man's  happi- 
ness than  when,  through  Luther's  instrumentality,  he  deprived  man 
of  the  consolations  of  Confession.  The  Catholic  who  has  something 
on  his  mind,  which  is  a  source  of  mental  anxiety,  and  the  keeping  of 
which  is  breaking  his  heart,  knows  that  in  the  first  priest  he  meets  he 
has  a  friend,  whom  God  has  provided  for  him,  and  in  whom  he  can 
place  implicit  faith."  There  is  often  in  a  guilty  soul  an  unappeasable 
longing  to  unburden  its  load  of  sin  to  some  living  person,  provided 
one  can  feel  assured  that  none  but  God  and  the  confessor  will  ever 


170 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


f 


know  what  is  avowed.  Such  a  confession,  made  to  a  fellow  human 
being,  under  the  seal  of  that  inviolable  secrecy  which  no  Catholic 
priest  has  ever  broken,  makes  the  penitence  seem  real,  and  gives  a 
relief  from  sin's  oppression,  which  mere  subjective  confession  rarely 

can  confer. 

It  scarcely  needs  to  be  said  that,  if  Confession  is  to  be  of  the 
slightest  use,  it  must  be  thorough  and  genuine.    If  it  be  intentionally 
^    incomplete  or  falsified,  God  is  aware  of  the  deception,  even  though 
I    the  priest  should  be  induced  to  give  absolution;  and  woe  to  him 
?    who  seeks  to  cheat  the  Almighty!    No  Catholic  is  so  ignorant  of  the 
'    rudiments  of  his  religion  as  to  imagine  that  absolution,  obtained 
by  deceiving  the  priest,  has  any  value;  and  every  Catholic  child, 
who  knows  his  catechism,  is  aware  of  the  fact  that,  should  one 
practise  such  a  mummery,  not  only  does  one  leave  the  confessional 
unshriven,  but  with  the  added  sin  of  sacrilege.    The  confessional  is 
the  only  tribunal  before  which  both  the  accuser  and  accused  are  one, 
and  to  whose  bar  no  witnesses  are  summoned.    Hence  the  validity 
of  the  Sacrament  does  not  depend  on  the  confessor,  but  upon  the 
penitent.    The  former  is  merely  the  channel  through  which  sacra- 
mental grace  flows;  and  this  grace  reaches  the  penitent  only  on 
certain  well-defined  conditions,  which  the  latter  must  fulfil.    The 
priest  can  pass  judgment  only  on  what  is  told  him.    One  mortal  sin, 
concealed  intentionally,  vitiates  the  whole  confession. 

As  many  Protestants  have  no  knowledge  whatever  of  the  nature 
of  a  Catholic  confession,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  simple  outline  of 
it  here.  Upon  the  kneeling  penitent  the  priest  bestows  his  blessing 
in  the  words  prescribed  by  the  Roman  ritual:— "The  Lord  be  in 
thy  heart  and  on  thy  lips,  that  thou  mayest  truly  and  humbly  con- 
fess thy  sins,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  After  the  penitent's  enumeration  of  the  sins  of  which 
he  has  been  guilty  since  his  last  confession,  he  adds:— "For  these 
and  all  my  other  sins,  which  I  cannot  now  remember,  I  am  heartily 
sorry;  I  purpose  amendment  for  the  future,  and  most  humbly  ask 
pardon  of  God,  and  penance  and  absolution  of  you,  my  spiritual 
Father."  The  priest  then  usually  warns,  exhorts  or  advises  the 
penitent,  and  gives  him  a  penance  to  perform,  or  a  definite  task  to 
accomplish.  Then,  if  satisfied  of  the  penitent's  sincerity  and  true 
repentance,  he  utters  the  words:— "May  the  Almighty  and  merciful 
Lord  give  thee  pardon,  absolution  and  remission  of  thy  sins.  Amen! 
Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  absolve  thee,  and  I,  by  His  authority,  absolve 
thee  .  .  .  from  all  thy  sins  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.    Amen!" 

I  once  entertained  the  notion  that  a  Catholic,  by  confessing  to  a 
priest,  cleared  his  past  record,  and  could  begin  to  sin  again,  certain 
of  being  once  more  pardoned  at  a  subsequent  confession.    But  even 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


171 


if  that  were  true, — which,  of  course,  is  not  the  case, — ^how  would 
his  situation  differ  from  that  of  the  repentant  Protestant,  who  has 
confessed  to  God  alone?  In  both  cases  the  penitent  feels  that  he  is 
pardoned,  and  has  the  assurance  that  his  future  sins  will  also,  if 
truly  repented  of,  be  forgiven,  provided  he  has  at  present  no  wish  or 
intention  to  recommit  them.  But  of  the  two  penitents  (their  disposi- 
tions being  supposed  to  be  equally  good),  which  has  the  stronger 
guarantee  against  continuance  in  some  well-recognised  path  of  sin? 

Is  it  the  Protestant,  of  whose  vice  no  one,  except  perhaps  a  guilty 
partner,  knows,  and  whose  confession  has  been  a  purely  secret  and 
subjective  one  to  God;  or  the  Catholic,  whose  guilt  is  known  to  his 
confessor,  whose  contrition  has  been  tested  by  an  experienced  and 
sympathetic  friend,  and  to  whom  warnings,  counsels  and  entreaties 
have  been  given,  and  on  whom  even  penance  has  been  laid?  I  have 
known  Protestant  men  and  women,  who,  counting  on  their  ultimate 
salvation  through  being  strictly  orthodox  in  the  faith,  have — ^with 
brief  intervals  of  repentance — continued  in  a  course  of  sin  for  years, 
chiefly  because  their  guilt  was  unsuspected  by  anyone.  If  they  had 
ever  confessed  it  to  a  priest,  and  had  thus  been  aware  of  his  abiding 
knowledge  of  it,  receiving  at  the  same  time  his  absolute  refusal  to 
give  them  absolution,  with  admission  to  the  Holy  Communion,  if  j 
they  persisted  in  their  wrong-doing,  they  might  have  changed  their  I 
lives  completely. 

"The  man  you  hate,"  says  the  proverb,  "is  the  man  you  do  not 
know."  In  nothing  is  this  truer  than  in  reference  to  the  Catholic 
clergy.  How  many  Protestants  are  able  to  judge  of  Catholic  priests 
from  a  personal  acquaintance  with  any  of  them?  We  think  perhaps 
with  repugnance  of  confessing  to  an  unknown  man,  however  devout, 
but  actual  experience  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  changes  one's 
opinion.  In  the  first  place,  the  hearing  of  confessions  is,  for  those 
who  sit  for  hours  in  the  confessional,  often  a  terrible  trial  of 
patience  and  even  of  physical  endurance.  Since  becoming  a  Catholic, 
I  have  known  priests  who,  though  still  fasting  before  saying  Mass, 
have  sat  in  the  confessional  for  hours  of  a  winter  morning,  till  they 
were  numb  with  cold  and  well-nigh  exhausted.  On  the  other  hand, 
what  compensations  must  a  conscientious  priest  possess,  when  it 
becomes  his  precious  privilege  to  share  the  joy  of  the  angels  in  God's 
presence,  by  welcoming  a  repentant  sinner  back  into  the  Church  of 
Christ,  advising  him,  strengthening  him,  assuring  him  of  his  heavenly 
Father's  pardon,  and  giving  him  permission  to  partake  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist! 

"But  is  not  the  system  of  Confession  liable  to  abuse?"  I  asked\ 
myself  for  the  thousandth  time.  "Undoubtedly,"  replied  my  con-\ 
science;  "but,  after  all,  what  system  and  what  course  of  action  ' 
among  sinful  mortals  may  not  be  abused?" 


172 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


THE  SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE 


173 


( 


In  certain  cases,  and  with  certain  persons,  discretion  should  be 
used  in  selecting  a  confessor;  but  the  same  thing  must  often  be  done 
in  the  choice  of  a  physician.  Between  the  two,  the  chances  are  much 
less  that  an  ordained  priest,  who  usually  partakes  daily  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  will  violate  his  sacred  duty,  and  mar  in  any  way  a  soul 
committed  to  his  care.  Moreover,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
every  priest  must  also  confess  his  own  sins.  No  Catholic  is  exempt 
from  that  duty,  whether  he  be  a  humble  country  cleric,  or  the  Pope 

of  Rome. 

Even  if  there  are  occasional  lapses  of  unworthy  priests,  such 
cases  are  not  restricted  to  the  Catholic  clergy  only.  At  one  time 
in  my  life,  in  order  to  wean  a  certain  Protestant  Church  member 
from  what  I  thought  excessive  admiration  for  the  Non-Conformist 
ministry,  I  clipped,  for  a  year  or  two,  from  the  daily  papers  a 
Startling  number  of  well-verified  accounts  of  clerical  scandals  in  that 
body.  I  was  induced  to  do  this  by  going  one  Sunday  to  a  Protestant 
church  in  a  large  American  city,  only  to  find  the  edifice  closed,  and 
the  congregation  standing  about  in  horrified  groups,  discussing  a 
discovery  made  the  evening  before,  which  had  led  to  the  elopement 
of  their  preacher  with  one  of  his  flock,  though  both  were  married, 
and  left  behind  them  in  their  flight  two  families  of  children!  The 
truth  is,  this  is  a  painful  subject,  about  which  neither  Protestants 
nor  Catholics  should  make  intolerant  or  sweeping  statements.  There 
are  weak  moments  in  even  the  purest  institutions.  To  all  ecclesias- 
tical denominations  is  the  sentence  applicable:— "He  that  is  without 
sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone."  There  are  tares  among 
the  wheat  within  the  Church,  but  God  does  not  apply  the  torch  to 
the  field  ...  yet!  Evil  sometimes  appears  to  triumph  on  this  earth 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  but  .  .  .  there  is  another  chapter! 

It  is  a  fatal  error  to  renounce  faith  in  the  Church  of  Christ  because 
some  of  its  members  are  backsliders  or  hypocrites.  That  is  the  great 
mistake  that  Luther  and  the  other  Reformers  committed.  Even  the 
faults  of  an  unworthy  priest  are  not  to  be  ascribed  to  the  Church 
itself,  for  such  a  priest  is  a  renegade  from  Us  precepts.  One  should 
not  judge  of  the  fruit  of  a  tree  from  the  rotten  apples  which  have 
fallen  from  it.  I  may  not  be  edified  by  the  conduct  of  some  par- 
ticular  prelate,  but  just  as  his  virtues  would  not  give  me  virtue, 
so  his  shortcomings  should  not  rob  me  of  it.  Another's  sins  cannot 
excuse  my  own.  A  consoling  thought  in  this  connection  is  the  fact 
that  a  priest,  by  virtue  of  his  consecrated  office,  can  be  a  useful 
ministrant  at  the  altar,  irrespective  of  his  character  as  a  man,  much 
as  the  sentence  of  a  judge  avails  to  hang  a  guilty  murderer,  whether 
the  judge  himself  be  a  moral  man,  or  not.  It  is  the  latter's  official 
act,  as  a  magistrate,  that  decides  the  validity  of  his  sentence. 
The  Sacraments  derive  their  efficacy  from  Christ,  not  from  the 
human  channel  that  conveys  them. 


About  this  time  I  found  the  following  statement  in  regard  to 
the  Catholic  Church,  which  deeply  impressed  me: — ^^Xax  in  dis- 
cipline, morals  and  faith  many  of  her  members  have  been  and  now 
are;  but  if  none  but  the  good  had  obtained  admission  to  her  fold, 
and  if  none  but  the  perfect  had  been  her  Pontiffs,  then  might  she 
seem  to  owe  her  deathless  life  to  merely  human  means.  The  fact 
that  her  rulers  have  been  weak  and  sinful  mortals  like  ourselves, 
reveals  a  power  greater  than  that  of  any  Pope,  which  has  preserved 
her  from  decay  and  doctrinal  error.  By  laying  stress  upon  the 
frailty  of  the  Church's  human  elements,  her  enemies  bear  testimony 
to  the  supernatural  origin  of  her  spirit,  which  still  persists,  in  spite 
of  human  sins  among  her  members.  If  half  the  scandals  imputed 
to  her  rulers  and  her  people  are  true,  the  continued  vitality  of  the 
Church  is  all  the  more  wonderful."  It  is  a  verification  of  the 
Apostle's  words: — *We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels,  that  the 
excellency  may  be  of  the  power  of  God,  and  not  of  us." 

If  we  are  to  repudiate  Papal  supremacy  in  the  Church  because 
some  of  her  Popes  have  been  immoral,  sinful  men,  then,  in  order  to  be 
consistent,  we  ought  to  repudiate  the  glorious  company  of  the 
Apostles,  because  Judas  once  belonged  to  it,  or  because  its  leader, 
Peter,  wickedly  denied  his  Lord.  Human  frailties  will  always  exist 
in  the  Church,  while  it  is  a  Church  militant.  Christ  was  doubted 
by  one  of  His  disciples,  denied  by  another,  betrayed  by  a  third,  and 
forsaken  by  all.  Yet  He  finished  the  work  which  was  given  Him  to 
do,  and  He  will  fulfil  His  promise  to  the  Church  He  founded.  The 
following  lines  from  the  valuable  work,  "Kirche  oder  Protestantis- 
mus,"  Mainz,  1883,  p.  136,  footnote,  are  worthy  of  careful  con- 
sideration:— ^''If  we  are  reproached  with  the  Church's  unworthy 
Popes,  we  reply  as  follows: — First,  that  we  Catholics  have  at  all 
times  frankly  and  honourably  acknowledged,  as  well  as  deeply 
lamented,  the  unworthiness  of  those  Pontiffs,  and  have  never  thought 
of  surrounding  them  with  an  unjustifiable  halo  of  sanctity,  or  a  false 
prestige.  Second,  that,  although  unworthy  Popes  in  their  private 
lives,  through  human  weaknesses  and  passions,  fell  into  certain  sins 
and  errors,  nevertheless  in  their  office,  as  Popes  they  never  enunci- 
ated any  doctrine  contrary  to  Christian  morals  and  never  issued  an 
immoral  decree.  Third,  that  the  essential  dignity  and  majesty  of 
the  Papal  office  itself  remain  completely  unaffected  by  the  personal 
unworthiness  of  its  individual  representatives.  .  .  .  Even  the  first 
Pope,  St.  Peter,  sinned  grievously  by  denying  his  Lord  and  Master; 
yet  the  exalted  dignity  which  the  Lord  conferred  upon  him  before 
all  the  other  Apostles  remained  with  him;  and  Pope  Leo  the  Great 
truly  said: — ^^The  worthiness  of  St.  Peter  is  not  lost  in  one  unworthy 
heir.'  Fourth,  that  the  number  of  unworthy  Popes,  as  they  appear 
before  us  in  the  course  of  eighteen  hundred  years,  is  very  small ;  that 
the  faults  of  which  they  were  guilty  were  for  the  most  part  com- 


1 


174  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

mitted  before  their  elevation  to  the  Papacy;  and  that  not  only  have 
those  faults  been  often  much  exaggerated  by  hostile  historians,  but 
offences  have  been  imputed  to  them  of  which  they  were  wholly 
innocent.  This  fact  has  been  pointed  out,  even  in  regard  to  the  un- 
worthy  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  by  the  English  Protestant  authority 
Roscoe,  in  his  great  historical  work:— The  Life  and  Pontificate  of 
Leo  X.'  Fifth,  that  in  the  history  of  the  Papacy  the  faults  of  the 
few  unworthy  Popes  fade  into  obscurity,  compared  with  the  heroic 
virtues  of  so  many  worthy,  pious,  great  and  holy  Pontiffs.  .  .  .  As 
Uttle  as  the  spots  upon  the  sun  can  darken  that  great  luminary,  so 
just  as  little  can  the  imperfections  of  the  record  of  some  individual 
Popes  dim  the  bright  sunlight  of  the  Papacy,  which  has  lighted  up 
the  earth  for  eighteen  centuries." 

Lest  this  should  appear  exaggerated  eulogy,  let  me  conclude  this 
chapter  by  quoting  a  tribute  to  the  Papacy  from  the  famous  historian 
Ferdinand  Gregorovius,  in  his  well-known  "History  of  Rome  in 
the  Middle  Ages."  He,  though  a  Protestant  Rationalist,  writes  that 
the  story  of  the  Papacy  forms  "the  most  sorrowful,  the  most  glorious 
and  the  most  exalted  history  that  stands  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
mankind"  (vol.  viii.,  p.  644). 


Chapter  XVII 

REVERENCE  SHOWN  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 
AND  PRAYERS  TO  HER  AND  TO  THE  SAINTS 

"Mother  dearest !    Mother  fairest ! 
Mother  purest!    Mother  rarest! 
Help  of  earth  and  joy  of  Heaven ! 
Love  and  praise  to  thee  be  given !" 

Faber. 

"Let  us,  then,  learn  that  we  can  never  be  lonely  or  forsaken  in  this 
life.  Shall  they  forget  us  because  they  are  'made  perfect*?  Shall  they 
love  us  less  because  they  now  have  power  to  love  us  moref  If  we 
forget  them  not,  shall  they  not  remember  us  with  God  ?  No  trial,  then, 
can  isolate  us,  no  sorrow  can  cut  us  off  from  the  Communion  of 
Saints.  Kneel  down,  and  you  are  with  them;  lift  up  your  eyes,  and 
the  heavenly  world,  high  above  all  perturbation,  hangs  serenely  over- 
head ;  only  a  thin  veil,  it  may  be,  floats  between.  All  whom  we  loved 
and  all  who  loved  us,  .  .  .  are  ever  near,  because  ever  in  His  pres- 
ence, in  whom  we  live  and  dwell." — Cardinal  Manning. 

A  GREATER  difficulty  than  those  which  I  have  mentioned  . 
was  the  overcoming  of  a  prejudice,  instilled  into  my  mind  I 
from  childhood,  against  the  reverence  paid  by  Catholics  to  | 
the  Blessed  Virgin.  j 

This  now  appears  to  me  so  wicked  and  unfounded,  that  I  am 
ashamed  to  have  been  dominated  by  it  so  long.  Nevertheless,  it  was 
to  me  for  a  time  a  serious  difficulty,  and  is  one  still  no  doubt  to  the 
majority  of  Protestants.  "In  the  first  place,"  a  Protestant  lady 
asked  me  recently,  "why  do  Catholics  always  speak  of  the  Mother 
of  Christ  as  the  'Blessed  Virgin?"  "Can  you  find  that  strange," 
I  answered,  "when  you  recall  her  own  prophetic  words?  In  St. 
Luke's  Gospel  (i.  48)  we  read: — ^'From  henceforth  all  generations 
shall  call  me  blessed.' "  "But  are  not  those  the  words  of  Christ 
referring  to  Himself?"  inquired  my  otherwise  highly  educated  ques- 
tioner in  perfectly  good  faith!  So  little  did  she  know  the  Gospel, 
which  she  and  all  Protestants  are  supposed  to  regard  as  the  Reve- 
lation of  God,  and  as  their  only  standard  of  authority!  This  pro- 
phetic declaration  of  the  Mother  of  the  Saviour  certainly  entails  on 
Christians  an  obligation  to  fulfil  her  prophecy,  yet  Protestants,  as 
a  rule,  pay  no  attention  to  it.  Indeed,  I  have  heard  them  refuse  to 
use  the  term  "Blessed  Virgin,"  because  it  was  "too  much  like  the 
Roman  Catholics."  But  surely  Catholics  follow  here  the  example 
given  in  the  Gospel.  The  Archangel  Gabriel,  at  the  Annunciation, 
greeted  her  with  the  words:— "Hail,  full  of  grace!    The  Lord  is  with 

17S 


176 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


( 


thee;  blessed  art  thou  among  women";  and  St.  Elizabeth  used  the 
same  expression: — ^''Blessed  art  thou  among  women.  .  .  .  Whence 
is  this  to  me,  that  the  Mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me?" 

In  any  case,  however,  why  should  Protestants  hesitate  to  call  the 
Virgin  Mary  "Blessed"?  What  woman  ever  was,  or  could  be,  more 
entitled  to  that  term,  than  she  whom  God  selected  out  of  all  her 
sex  to  be  the  earthly  vehicle  of  the  Incarnation  of  His  Son, — of 
Deity?  Can  any  greater  honour  be  imagined  for  a  mortal?  Could 
any  life  be  made  more  blessed  than  that  which  gave  to  mankind  its 
Redeemer? 

In  those  who  disbelieve  in  Christ's  Divinity  the  slighting  of  the 
Virgin  Mother  may  be  comprehensible;  but  why  should  evangelical 
Protestants  object  to  designate  as  Blessed  the  Mother  of  their 
Saviour?  Can  anyone  expect  to  please  even  an  earthly  son  by 
showing  a  lack  of  reverence  to  his  mother?  How  much  less,  then, 
can  such  a  course  be  pleasing  to  the  Son  of  God,  who,  while  endur- 
ing agony  upon  the  Cross,  confided  His  Mother  to  His  beloved  dis- 
ciple? Can  there  be  any  doubt  that  Christ  still  loves  and  reverences 
His  Mother  now  in  Heaven,  to  whom  He  was  obedient  on  earth  for 
thirty  years  out  of  the  three-and-thirty  of  His  life?  Certainly,  there- 
fore, those  who  honour  the  Mother,  honour  the  Son  as  well;  and 
"Every  crown  that  is  wreathed  for  Mary  is  laid  at  Jesus*  feet." 
Some  well-known  stanzas  by  Father  Faber  admirably  express  these 
sentiments: — 

"Mother  of  mercies,  day  by  day 
My  love  for  thee  grows  more  and  more; 
Thy  gifts  are  strewn  upon  my  way, 
Like  sands  upon  the  great  sea-shore. 

"But  scornful  men  have  coldly  said 
Thy  love  was  leading  me  from  God; 
And  yet  in  this  I  did  but  tread 
The  very  path  my  Saviour  trod. 

"They  know  but  little  of  thy  worth 
Who  speak  these  heartless  words  to  me. 
For  what  did  Jesus  love  on  earth 
One  half  so  tenderly  as  thee? 


"Jesus,  when  His  three  hours  were  run, 
Bequeathed  thee  from  the  Cross  to  me; 
And  oh,  how  can  I  love  thy  Son, 
Sweet  Mother,  if  I  love  not  thee?" 

Study  of  this  subject  revealed  to  me  the  following  facts: — Catholic 
doctrine  does  not  place  the  Blessed  Virgin  on  an  equality  with  God, 
as  is  often  asserted,  but  fully  recognises,  in  her  case  also,  the  infi- 
nite distance  existing  between  creature  and  Creator.    \et  who  can 


REVERENCE  SHOWN  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN     177 

fail  to  see  that  Mary,  of  necessity,  occupies  a  unique  position  among 
all  created  beings?  Christ  had  but  one  Mother.  Incarnate  God 
vouchsafed  to  tabernacle  Himself  in  the  flesh  of  no  other  mortal 
medium.  She  thus  became  the  earthly  Mother  of  Deity.  Why 
should  she  not,  then,  be  supremely  honoured  among  mortals? 

Moreover,  she  alone,  of  all  her  race,  was  privileged  to  co-operate 
in  the  work  of  Redemption  by  her  own  free  will  and  choice.  For, 
when  the  holy  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  was  announced  to  her, 
she  answered  with  humihty: — ^'^Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord; 
be  it  done  to  me  according  to  thy  word."  This  being  so,  how  is  it 
possible  to  regard  Christ's  Mother  as  merely  an  "ordinary  woman," 
as  Protestants  sometimes  style  her?  What  angel  or  what  saint  was 
ever  so  exalted?  And  to  have  been  thus  honoured  and  selected  out 
of  all  created  beings,  must  not  her  character,  her  fitness  and  her 
holiness  have  been  unique?  If  not,  why  should  Almighty  God,  who 
had  the  universe  to  choose  from,  have  selected  her?  If  in  the  whole 
world  there  had  been  a  woman  purer,  sweeter,  more  devout  and 
humble  than  the  Blessed  Virgin,  is  it  conceivable  that  God  would 
not  have  chosen  that  woman?  Again  and  again  I  asked  myself: — 
Why  have  I  never  seriously  thought  of  this  before,  instead  of  fool- 
ishly repeating  the  old  Protestant  and  rationalistic  shibboleths  to 
her  discredit,  and  brutally  insisting  on  the  humiliation  of  the  Mother 
of  our  Lord? 

The  schismatic  Greek  Church  and  most  of  the  Oriental  sects  of 
Christendom  agree  with  Catholics  in  reverencing  Mary,  and  in  pray- 
ing for  her  intercession;  and  even  Mohammedans  pay  her  greater 
honour  than  do  the  majority  of  Protestant  Christians!  Yet  those 
who  thus  ignore  the  love  and  intercession  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  rob 
the  religion  of  Christ  of  a  legitimate  tenderness  and  sweetness  they 
can  never  know.  Their  strange  hostility  to  the  Mother  of  our 
Saviour  is  sometimes  carried  to  almost  incredible  extremes.  Rev. 
J.  G.  Sutcliffe,  formerly  curate  in  Great  Yarmouth,  England,  testi- 
fies on  this  point  as  follows: — "My  vicar,  preaching  on  the  Mother 
of  Jesus,  taught  us  that  she  was  'no  better  than  any  respectable  girl 
in  our  townM"  ("Roads  to  Rome,"  p.  258).  Surely  such  men  for- 
get, not  only  what  unparalleled  honour  was  conferred  upon  her  by 
the  Almighty,  but  also  how  intimately  connected  was  her  life  with 
that  of  her  Child, — the  Incarnate  Son  of  God! 

During  thirty  years  of  Christ's  existence  on  this  earth  they  were 
practically  never  separated,  and  rarely  even  during  the  remaining 
three.  Mary  had  given  to  His  human  frame  its  flesh  and  blood; 
had  nursed  Him  as  an  infant;  had  guided  His  first  footsteps;  had 
given  Him  instructions  in  the  ways  of  life;  had  taken  Him  in  flight 
to  Egypt;  and  watched  Him,  always  "subject  to  her,"  slowly  and 
divinely  grow  to  manhood.    She  was  His  loving  confidante,  and  He 


178 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


;  V 


no  doubt  was  hers.  What  a  wonderfully  sanctifying  influence  must 
the  holy  presence  of  the  Son  of  God  have  exercised  upon  her  in  the 
quiet  home  at  Nazareth  during  those  thirty  years!  She  was,  more- 
over, His  companion  to  the  last.  She  heard  His  touching  parables 
and  sermons,  wondered  at  His  words,  and  marvelled  at  His  miracles, 
the  first  of  which  He  wrought  at  her  request.  She  also  watched  in 
anguish  His  sufferings  upon  the  Cross,  and  heard  His  tender  words 
concerning  her,  uttered  with  his  dying  breath.  She,  too,  it  was  who 
held  and  bathed  His  lacerated  body,  shared  the  joy  of  the  disciples 
at  His  Resurrection,  and  was  present  with  them  on  the  day  of  His 
Ascension,  and  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Holy  Spirit  came 

upon  them. 

"But,"  it  may  be  urged,  "why  do  Catholics  go  so  far  as  to  apply 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin  the  title  'Mother  of  God7"  Yet  does  not 
that  title  correspond  to  the  fact?  Used  by  Catholics,  it  refers,  of 
•course,  to  Mary,  as  the  Mother  of  Christ  on  earth.  Catholic  doc- 
trine does  not  state  that  Mary  was  the  Mother  of  the  Godhead, — 
the  Divine  Nature,  self-existent  from  eternity;  but  that  she  was  the 
Mother  of  Christ,  who,  though  a  single  personality,  had  two  natures 
(Divine  and  human),  and  was  God  as  well  as  man.  Since,  therefore, 
the  Blessed  Virgin  was  Christ's  Mother,  she  was  assuredly  the 
Mother  of  God,  in  the  sense  alluded  to;  and  this  exalted  title,  thus 
defined,  was  given  to  her  formally  by  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  as 
early  as  the  year  434.  This  does  not  mean,  however,  that  the  title 
had  not  previously  existed  among  Christians,  unofficially,  for  it  was 
used  by  the  Church  Fathers,  Origen,  Eusebius,  Athanasius,  Ambrose 
and  many  more.  In  434,  however,  on  account  of  the  Nestorian 
heresy,  it  was  deemed  necessary  for  the  Church  carefully  to  define 
the  doctrine  of  the  two  natures  in  Christ,  and  for  the  Pope  to  pro- 
claim it  solemnly  ex  cathedra,  in  order  to  put  it  for  evermore  beyond 
the  region  of  dogmatic  controversy  among  Catholics.  Since  then 
innumerable  pious  lips  in  every  century,  in  every  country  in  the 
world,  and  on  the  loneliest  expanses  of  the  sea,  have  formulated 
those  heart-moving  words:— "Sancta  Maria,  Mater  Dei,  ora  pro 
nobis  peccatoribus  nunc  et  in  hora  mortis  nostra"! 

As  for  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Blessed 
'  Virgin,  most  Protestants  have  erroneous  notions  of  what  it  really 
\  signifies.  It  does  not  mean,  of  course,  that  Mary,  like  her  Son,  was 
immaculately  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  that  she  was  in  any 
sense  divine.  It  merely  states  that,  as  the  mortal  vehicle  of  Christ's 
Incarnation,  the  Blessed  Virgin  was,  from  the  very  moment  of  her 
conception,  entirely  uncontaminated  by  the  taint  of  that  original  sin, 
through  which  the  father  of  our  race  had  forfeited  for  himself  and 
his  descendants  many  blessed  privileges.  It  means  that,  having  been 
chosen  from  all  others  to  become  the  Mother  of  Incarnate  God,  to 


REVERENCE  SHOWN  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN    179 

her  was  granted  the  special  boon  of  being  from  the  outset  freed  from 
that  blemish,  and  that  she  thus  was  made  a  spotless  vessel  for  the 
Saviour  of  mankind.  If  the  truth  of  the  Incarnation  itself  is  once 
believed,  is  this  additional  doctrine  difficult  to  accept?  Do  not  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  almost  inevitably  presuppose  such  action 
on  the  part  of  God?  Belief  in  the  Blessed  Virgin's  exemption  from 
the  inherited  evil  in  humanity  seems  a  necessary  part  of  our  ideal 
of  what  the  Mother  of  the  perfect  Son  of  God  should  be. 

Although  this  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  was  first 
officially  proclaimed  by  Pope  Pius  DC.  in  1854,  it  had  been  held 
already  in  the  Church  for  centuries.  (See  Cardinal  Newman's 
"Development  of  Doctrine,"  p.  145.)  It  was,  however,  then  de- 
fined for  the  first  time,  as  an  essential  dogma  of  the  Faith,  like 
several  other  doctrines,  which  from  the  first  lay  hidden  in  the 
Church's  inspired  consciousness,  and  which  have  been  from  time  to 
time  declared  by  its  chief  Pastor,  whenever  their  promulgation 
has  been  needed  to  refute  some  heresy,  or  to  rekindle  Christian 
zeal. 

Even  the  doctrine  of  the  Divinity  of  Christ  was  not  formally  de- 
fined till  the  first  Council  of  Nicae,  a.d.  325,  the  object  being  then 
to  refute  the  Arian  heresy;  nor  was  the  dogma  of  the  Divinity  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  formally  proclaimed  until  the  Council  of  Constan- 
tinople, A.D.  381,  to  meet  the  heresy  of  Macedonius.  In  fact,  when- 
ever a  Catholic  dogma  has  been  openly  assailed,  the  Church  has 
felt  obliged  to  state  authoritatively  her  decision  in  regard  to  it. 
Such  solemn  definitions  are,  however,  indicative  of  the  continued 
life  of  the  Church,  not,  as  some  declare,  of  her  decadence.  Mallock 
well  says  of  the  Catholic  Church: — ^'^Her  doctrines,  as  she  one  by 
one  unfolds  them,  emerge  upon  us  like  petals  from  a  half-closed 
bud;  they  are  not  added  arbitrarily  from  without;  they  are  devel- 
oped from  within."  If  Protestants  object  to  this  unfolding  of  cer- 
tain dogmas,  which,  like  seeds,  were  necessarily  included  in  the 
original  deposit  of  Faith,  given  the  Catholic  Church  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  they  should  remember  that  the  same 
is  true  of  dogmas,  which  they  themselves  hold  in  common  with 
Catholics.  There  was,  for  example,  a  progressive  development  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trinity  and  the  Atonement,  no  less  than 
of  the  dogmas  of  Purgatory  and  the  Immaculate  Conception  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin. 

Objection  is  also  often  made  by  Protestants  to  the  custom  of 
praying  to  the  Virgin  Mother;  but  here,  too,  everything  depends 
upon  a  proper  understanding  of  the  Catholic  standpoint.  The 
Catholic  doctrine  does  not  teach,  but,  on  the  contrary,  forbids,  any 
adoration  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It  states  that  to  adore  her,  in  the 
sense  that  God  should  be  adored,  would  be  idolatry,  for  adoration 


i8o 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


PRAYERS  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


i8i 


a 


( 


is  for  God  alone.    To  love  and  reverence  her,  however,  is  both  a 
duty  and  a  privilege. 

Moreover,  prayers  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  are  always,  in  the  last 
analysis,  prayers  for  her  intercession.  Humbly,  reverently  and 
lovingly  Catholics  ask  the  Virgin  Mother  (and  the  Saints  as  well) 
to  intercede  for  them,  and  to  further  their  petitions  to  Almighty 
God,  who  is,  of  course,  the  final  Source  of  every  grace  and  bless- 
ing. 

Why  should  we  not  pray  thus  to  Christ's  Mother  and  the  Saints? 
Do  we  not  often  ask  an  earthly  friend  to  pray  for  us,  and  have  we 
not  abundant  warrant  in  the  Bible  for  so  doing?  St.  Paul  writes: — 
"Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake, 
,  .  .  that  you  strive  together  with  me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for 
m^'  (Rom.  XV.  30).  In  i  Thess.  v.  25  he  writes:— "Brethren 
pray  for  us"  (See  also  Eph.  vi.  18,  19;  and  Heb.  xiii.  18.)  But 
if  it  be  a  Christian  duty  to  ask  a  friend  on  earth  to  pray  in  our 
behalf,  why  not  request  the  same  friend,  when  he  has  left  this  world, 
to  pray  for  us  in  Heaven?  One  understands  how  Materialists  re- 
pudiate the  doctrine  of  the  Communion  of  Saints,  for  they  have  no 
belief  in  the  existence  of  such  beings;  but  how  is  it  possible  for 
Protestants,  who  do  believe  in  the  reality  of  a  spiritual  world,  to 
reject  the  beautiful  and  consoling  idea  of  the  helpful  influence  of 
the  Angels  of  God  and  of  the  Saints  in  Heaven?  Why  admit  the 
agency  of  evil  spirits,  yet  deny  the  influence  of  good  ones?  On 
what  authority?  Certainly  not  on  that  of  the  Bible.  Scripture 
teaches  us  that  souls  in  Heaven  retain  their  love  for  us,  and  that 
they  are,  to  some  extent  at  least,  aware  of  what  transpires  here. 
Jesus  Himself  assures  us  that  "joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sin- 
ner that  repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety  and  nine  just  persons 
which  need  no  repentance."  He  also  tells  us: — ^"There  is  joy  in  the  t 
presence  of  the  Angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth."  But  / 
how  can  they  rejoice  over  our  repentance,  unless  they  know  of  it?  j 
And  since  sorrow  for  sin  is  an  affair  of  the  soul,  how  can  they  know  I 
of  it,  unless  they  are  cognisant  of  our  thoughts  and  wishes?  St. 
Paul  tells  us  that  we  are  compassed  about  with  a  "great  cloud  of 
witnesses";  and  in  the  Book  of  Revelation  (viii.  3)  we  read  of  an 
Angel,  whose  duty  it  is  to  "offer  the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the 
altar  which  was  before  the  throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense, 
which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before  God." 
Moreover,  in  the  same  book  (v.  8),  we  read  of  "golden  vials  full  of 
perfumes,  which  are  the  prayers  of  saints" 

Now  the  prayers  of  Saints  and  Angels  can  hardly  be  for  them- 
selves, but  must  rather  be  for  those  who  need  their  prayers, — that 
is^  for  the  poor  sinners  in  this  world. 


It  is  unquestionable  that  from  the  very  first  days  of  the  Church 
Christians  invoked  the  intercession  of  the  Saints;  for  in  the  sub- 
terranean aisles  of  the  Catacombs  we  find  funereal  inscriptions,  ap- 
pealing to  deceased  Christians  to  remember  them  in  Heaven.  Thus, 
one  such  reads: — *^Ask  for  us  in  thy  prayers,  for  we  know  thou  art 
with  Christ"  The  Fathers  of  the  early  Church  themselves  main- 
tained the  practice  of  praying  for  the  intercession  of  the  Saints.  St 
Chrysostom,  for  example,  said:  "Not  on  this  festal  day  only,  but 
on  other  days  also  let  us  invoke  these  Saints ;  let  us  implore  them  to 
become  our  patrons;  for  they  have  great  power,  not  merely  during 
life,  but  also  after  death;  yea,  much  greater  after  death."  Few! 
Christian  customs  are,  in  fact,  so  completely  justified  by  Scripture' 
and  tradition  as  this.  • 

Just  how  the  Saints  and  Angels  are  made  aware  of  our  petitions 
need  not  concern  us.  That  is  a  part  of  the  mystery  of  the  spirit- 
world.  We  know  that  we  are  urged  by  Scripture  and  counselled 
by  the  Church  to  pray  to  them;  to  God  we  leave  the  rest.  But,  if 
it  be  proper  to  invoke  the  aid  and  intercession  of  the  Saints  and 
Angels,  how  much  more  should  we  invoke  the  help  and  intercession 
of  Christ's  Blessed  Mother! 

Jesus,  though  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  His  Father,  is  still  her 
Son,  and  cannot  fail  to  hear  with  love  and  tenderness  her  prayers 
for  those  for  whom  He  died,  and  whom  she  also  loves  for  His  dear 
sake.  Such  prayer  in  no  sense  weakens  Christ's  essential  attributes 
as  Mediator,  for  every  prayer  to  her  is  really  based  upon  the  media- 
tion of  her  Son,  There  are  moments  in  the  lives  of  most  of  us  when, 
either  through  the  realisation  of  our  own  unworthiness  and  insig- 
nificance, or  of  the  awe-inspiring  majesty  of  God,  we  long  to  have 
supporters  in  our  supplications, — some  tender,  human  souls  to  in- 
tercede for  us;  and  these  the  Catholic  finds  in  the  Blessed  Virgin 
and  the  Saints.  It  is  the  teaching  of  the  Catholic  Church  that  the 
Mother  of  Christ  is  a  most  potent  advocate,  and  also  that  "the 
Saints,  reigning  with  Christ,  offer  their  prayers  for  men  to  God,  and 
that  it  is  good  and  useful  to  call  upon  them,  and  to  have  recourse 
to  their  prayers,  help  and  assistance,  in  order  to  obtain  benefits 
from  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  alone  is  our  Redeemer  and 
Saviour."  Millions  of  prayers  ascend  thus  daily  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  for  her  aid  and  intercession,  from  every  portion  of  the  Chris- 
tian world. 

Among  the  many  names  of  endearment  by  which  she  is  addressed 
in  these  petitions,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  is  "Stella  Maris,"  in 
token  of  her  watchful  care  over  those  who  find  themselves  exposed 
to  danger  on  the  deep.  How  many  touching  prayers  and  poems 
has  this  thought  inspired  I     Among  the  latter  is  the  "Evening  Song 


l82 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


PRAYERS  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 


183 


to  the  Blessed  Virgin,"  by  Mrs.  Hemans, — the  singing  of  which 
made  upon  me  many  years  ago  an  ineffaceable  impression. 

"Ave  sanctissima ! 
'Tis  nightfall  on  the  sea; 
Ora  pro  nobis, 
Our  souls  rise  to  thee. 

"Watch  us  while  shadows  lie 
O'er  the  dim  waters  spread; 
Hear  the  heart's  lonely  sigh, — 
Thine  too  hath  bled. 

"Thou,  that  hast  looked  on  death, 
Aid  us  when  death  is  near ! 
Whisper  of  Heaven  to  faith, — 
Sweet  Mother,  hear ! 


*t 


Ora  pro  nobis ! 

The  wave  must  rock  our  sleep ; 

Ora,  Mater,  ora. 

Star  of  the  deep !" 


The  beneficial  influence  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  history  of 
Christianity  for  nineteen  hundred  years  can  hardly  be  exaggerated. 
From  Catholic  writers  it  would,  of  course,  be  easy  to  bring  abundant 
evidence  of  this;  but  theirs  perhaps  would  not  be  so  impressive  to 
non-Catholics  as  the  testimony  of  the  eminent  historian  William 

I  H.  Lecky,  who,  though  a  Rationalist,  wrote  the  following: — ^'The 
world  is  governed  by  its  ideals,  and  seldom  or  never  has  there  been 

j  one  which  has  exercised  a  more  salutary  influence  than  the  mediaeval 
conception  of  the  Virgin.     For  the  first  time  woman  was  elevated 

*  to  her  rightful  position,  and  the  sanctity  of  weakness  was  recognised, 
as  well  as  the  sanctity  of  sorrow.  No  longer  the  slave  or  toy  of  man, 
no  longer  associated  only  with  ideas  of  degradation  and  of  sensuality, 
woman  rose,  in  the  person  of  the  Virgin  Mother,  into  a  new  sphere, 
and  became  the  object  of  a  reverential  homage,  of  which  antiquity 
had  no  conception.  ...  A  new  type  of  character  was  called  into 
being;  a  new  kind  of  admiration  was  fostered.  Into  a  harsh  and 
ignorant  and  benighted  age  this  ideal  type  infused  a  conception  of 
gentleness  and  purity,  unknown  to  the  proudest  civilisations  of  the 
past.  In  the  pages  of  living  tenderness,  which  many  a  monkish 
writer  has  left  in  honour  of  his  celestial  patron;  in  the  millions  who, 
in  many  lands  and  in  many  ages,  have  sought  to  mould  their  char- 
acters into  her  image;  in  those  holy  maidens  who,  for  the  love  of 
Mary,  have  separated  themselves  from  all  the  glories  and  pleasures 
of  the  world,  to  seek  in  fastings  and  vigils  and  humble  charity  to 


render  themselves  worthy  of  her  benediction;  in  the  new  sense  of 
honour,  in  the  chivalrous  respect,  in  the  softening  of  manners,  in  the 
refinement  of  tastes  displayed  in  all  the  walks  of  society;  in  these 
and  in  many  other  ways  we  detect  its  influence.  All  that  was  best 
in  Europe  clustered  around  it,  and  it  is  the  origin  of  many  of  the 
purest  elements  of  our  civilisation'*  ("History  of  Rationalism,"  vol. 
i.,  p.  225).  Again,  in  his  "History  of  European  Morals,"  the  same 
writer  says: — ^'^It  is  remarkable  that  the  Jews  .  .  .  should  have  fur- 
nished the  world  with  its  supreme  ideal;  and  it  is  also  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  qualities  which  prove  most  attractive  in  woman, 
that  one,  of  whom  we  know  nothing  except  her  gentleness  and  her 
sorrow,  should  have  exercised  a  magnetic  power  upon  the  world, 
incomparably  greater  than  was  exercised  by  the  most  majestic  fe- 
male portraits  of  Paganism"  Such  were  a  few  of  the  considera- 
tions which  made  the  reverence  paid  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  by  the 
Catholic  Church  not  only  comprehensible  to  me,  but  also  natural 
and  beautiful. 

It  was  about  this  time  in  my  Journey  towards  the  Church  of  Rome 
that  I  wrote  the  following  verses: 


IN  RETROSPECT 

How  could  I  live  so  long  without  communion 
With  Thee,  Almighty  and  Omniscient  God, 
How  could  I  bear  no  hope  of  a  reunion 
With  vanished  loved  ones,  sleeping  *neath  the  sod? 

How  could  I  trace, — ^the  midnight  skies  exploring,— 
Vast  stellar  systems  with  their  perfect  laws, 
Yet  still  continue  foolishly  ignoring 
Their  great  Designer,  Framer  and  First  Cause? 

How  could  I  scorn  Thy  wondrous  Revelation, 
Deny  that  God  had  visited  His  earth, 
Suggest  a  better  scheme  for  man's  salvation, 
And  doubt  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  Virgin  Birth? 

How  could  I  live  so  long  without  discerning, 
Dear  Virgin  Mother,  what  thou  really  art? 
Why  was  my  soul,  alas !  so  late  in  learning 
The  priceless  treasure  of  thy  loving  heart? 

How  could  I  doubt  that  thou, — God's  own  selection,- 
Wast  from  thy  first  conception  undefiled. 
Pure,  full  of  grace,  endowed  with  all  perfection, 
A  stainless  temple  for  thy  Holy  Child  ? 


.184 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

How  could  I  live  with  mind  and  heart  united 
In  bitter  conflict  with  this  Christian  Faith, 
Content  to  linger  in  a  world  benighted. 
With  life  a  mystery  and  God  a  wraith? 

Because — a  tiny  drop  in  God*s  vast  ocean 
Presumed  to  criticise  the  boundless  sea, 
Because  an  atom  wished  to  guide  Earth's  motion. 
And  teach  its  Maker  what  His  world  should  be ! 


Chapter  XVIII 

MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 

*The  moment  that,  in  our  pride  of  heart,  we  refuse  to  accept  the 
condescension  of  the  Almighty,  and  desire  Him,  instead  of  stooping  to 
hold  our  hands,  to  rise  up  before  us  into  His  glory,  God  takes  us  at 
our  word;  He  rises  into  His  own  invisible  and  inconceivable  majesty; 
He  goes  forth  upon  the  ways  which  are  not  our  ways,  and  retires  into 
the  thoughts  which  are  not  our  thoughts ;  and  we  are  left  alone.  Then 
presently  we  say  in  our  vain  hearts, — There  is  no  God !" — Ruskin. 

**Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with  you  that  God 
should  raise  the  dead?" — St.  Paul:  Acts  xxvi.  8. 

*'In  a  miracle,  God,  for  one  moment,  shows  Himself,  that  we  may 
remember  it  is  He  that  is  at  work,  when  no  miracle  is  seen." — F.  W. 
Robertson. 

A  NOTHER  obstacle  in  my  path,  as  I  approached  the  Catholic 
f-\  Church,  was  what  I  conceived  to  be  her  attitude  towards 
■^  -^  modern  miracles. 

In  dealing  with  this  subject,  I  looked  at  it  first  from  my  old  stand- 
point of  a  sceptic,  who  holds  that  all  miracles,  whether  ancient  or 
modern,  are  incredible,  and  that  belief  in  them  is  an  evidence  of 
ignorance  and  credulity.  In  reality,  however,  I  had  now  passed 
beyond  that  point;  had  lost  a  little  of  my  arrogance;  and  had  per- 
ceived that  with  God  all  things  are  possible,  and  that  the  incon- 
ceivable difference  between  a  finite,  ignorant  creature  and  the  infi- 
nitely wise  Creator  and  Preserver  of  this  boundless  universe  war- 
rants no  rash  assertions.  I  had  also  realised  that  the  startling  dis- 
coveries, constantly  being  made  in  the  realm  of  science,  call  for  the 
utmost  circumspection  in  the  face  of  facts,  of  which  we  hitherto 
have  had  no  inkling.  Beyond  our  present  limited  comprehension 
lies  a  sphere,  within  which  God  can  work,  of  course,  as  easily  as  in 
our  own.  Of  this  vast,  extra-sensible  sphere  we  know  comparatively 
nothing.  We  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  in  a  labyrinth  of 
mysteries,  from  which  we  find  no  exit  by  the  paths  of  science. 

It  is  true,  we  discover  certain  uniform  "laws,"  or  methods,  in  the 
working  of  those  mysteries;  and  minds  which  look  exclusively  at 
Nature's  regularity  are  apt  to  be  annoyed  by  any  suggestion  of 
exceptions  to  the  rule.  Hostility  to  miracles  becomes  thus  some- 
times among  scientists  an  "obsession,"  quite  as  great  as  any  which 
the  scientists  condemn.  As  we  have  seen  in  a  previous  chapter,  the 
evidence  is  incontrovertible  that  Nature's  "laws,"  or  methods  of 
procedure,  are  governed  by  a  Supreme  Intelligence  and  Will.  Why, 
then,  is  it  not  possible  (nay,  under  certain  circumstances  probable) 

i8s 


184 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

How  could  I  live  with  mind  and  heart  united 
In  bitter  conflict  with  this  Christian  Faith, 
Content  to  linger  in  a  world  benighted, 
With  life  a  mystery  and  God  a  wraith? 

Because — a  tiny  drop  in  God's  vast  ocean 
Presumed  to  criticise  the  boundless  sea, 
Because  an  atom  wished  to  guide  Earth's  motion. 
And  teach  its  Maker  what  His  world  should  be ! 


Chapter  XVIII 

MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 

"The  moment  that,  in  our  pride  of  heart,  we  refuse  to  accept  the 
condescension  of  the  Almighty,  and  desire  Him,  instead  of  stooping  to 
hold  our  hands,  to  rise  up  before  us  into  His  glory,  God  takes  us  at 
our  word ;  He  rises  into  His  own  invisible  and  inconceivable  majesty ; 
He  goes  forth  upon  the  ways  which  are  not  our  ways,  and  retires  into 
the  thoughts  which  are  not  our  thoughts ;  and  we  are  left  alone.  Then 
presently  we  say  in  our  vain  hearts, — There  is  no  God  !'* — Ruskin. 

•Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with  you  that  God 
should  raise  the  dead?" — St.  Paul:  Acts  xxvi.  8. 

*'In  a  miracle,  God,  for  one  moment,  shows  Himself,  that  we  may 
remember  it  is  He  that  is  at  work,  when  no  miracle  is  seen." — F.  W. 
Robertson. 

A  NOTHER  obstacle  in  my  path,  as  I  approached  the  Catholic 
/a  Church,  was  what  I  conceived  to  be  her  attitude  towards 
^  -^  modern  miracles. 

In  dealing  with  this  subject,  I  looked  at  it  first  from  my  old  stand- 
point of  a  sceptic,  who  holds  that  all  miracles,  whether  ancient  or 
modern,  are  incredible,  and  that  belief  in  them  is  an  evidence  of 
ignorance  and  credulity.  In  reality,  however,  I  had  now  passed 
beyond  that  point;  had  lost  a  little  of  my  arrogance;  and  had  per- 
ceived that  with  God  all  things  are  possible,  and  that  the  incon- 
ceivable difference  between  a  finite,  ignorant  creature  and  the  infi- 
nitely wise  Creator  and  Preserver  of  this  boundless  universe  war- 
rants no  rash  assertions.  I  had  also  realised  that  the  startling  dis- 
coveries, constantly  being  made  in  the  realm  of  science,  call  for  the 
utmost  circumspection  in  the  face  of  facts,  of  which  we  hitherto 
have  had  no  inkling.  Beyond  our  present  limited  comprehension 
lies  a  sphere,  within  which  God  can  work,  of  course,  as  easily  as  in 
our  own.  Of  this  vast,  extra-sensible  sphere  we  know  comparatively 
nothing.  We  live  and  move  and  have  our  being  in  a  labyrinth  of 
mysteries,  from  which  we  find  no  exit  by  the  paths  of  science. 

It  is  true,  we  discover  certain  uniform  "laws,"  or  methods,  in  the 
working  of  those  mysteries;  and  minds  which  look  exclusively  at 
Nature's  regularity  are  apt  to  be  annoyed  by  any  suggestion  of 
exceptions  to  the  rule.  Hostility  to  miracles  becomes  thus  some- 
times among  scientists  an  "obsession,"  quite  as  great  as  any  which 
the  scientists  condemn.  As  we  have  seen  in  a  previous  chapter,  the 
evidence  is  incontrovertible  that  Nature's  "laws,"  or  methods  of 
procedure,  are  governed  by  a  Supreme  Intelligence  and  Will.  Why, 
then,  is  it  not  possible  (nay,  under  certain  circumstances  probable) 

i8s 


i86 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


that  the  Creator  and  Maintainer  of  the  universe  should  sometimes 
wish  to  change  the  usual  operation  of  the  "laws"  which  we  know, 
and  to  make  use  of  others,  of  which  we  are  not  yet  aware,  but  which 
are  also  of  His  making?  '*God,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "does  not  do 
anything  contrary  to  Nature,  when  He  works  a  miracle;  but  merely 
does  something  contrary  to  the  usual  course  of  Nature,  as  we  know 
it";  and  we  have  seen  already  from  the  words  of  Darwin  and  Lord 
Kelvin  how  little  of  that  course  we  really  know.  Even  Huxley 
acknowledged  that  we  know  too  little  of  Nature  to  say  that  a  miracle 
cannot  be  wrought  by  laws  with  which  we  are  unacquainted. 

Is  God  the  slave  of  His  own  creation,  or  is  He  a  divinely  free 
and  independent  Will?  Science  assures  us  that  our  earth  and  the 
sidereal  system  which  we  see  must  once  have  had  a  beginning,  as  it 
must  have  an  end.  If  this  be  so,  however,  and  if  the  "germs"  of 
this  potential  state  of  things  ever  began  to  evolve,  there  must  have 
been  performed,  at  that  initiatory  stage  at  least,  a  miracle.  Whether 
or  not  there  were  at  subsequent  epochs  more  Divine  interpositions 
does  not  affect  the  fact  of  that  initial  one;  and  the  length  of  time 
which  has  elapsed  since  then  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  How  long 
ago,  or  with  what  speed,  the  will  of  God  may  work,  does  not  affect 
the  character  of  the  deed.  The  first  creative  impulse  given  to  the 
universe  must  have  been  miraculous,  and  we  can  say  the  same  of 
the  origin  of  life. 

Science  confesses  its  absolute  inability  to  solve  the  problem  of 
life's  origin.  Its  soiu*ce  is  evidently  independent  of  matter.  Pro- 
fessor Tyndall  says: — ^*I  affirm  that  no  shred  of  trustworthy  ex- 
perimental testimony  exists  to  prove  that  life  in  our  day  has  ever 
existed  independently  of  antecedent  life"  (Nineteenth  Century, 
1878,  p.  507).  Professor  Huxley  also  declares  that  the  doctrine 
of  "life  only  from  life"  is  "victorious  along  the  whole  line  at  the 
present  time"  ("Critiques  and  Addresses,"  p.  239).  Professor 
Virchow  calls  the  doctrine  of  the  production  of  life  from  non- 
living matter  utterly  discredited.  Numerous  other  scientists  state 
that  "all  really  scientific  experience  tells  us  that  life  can  be  pro- 
duced from  a  living  being  only"  ("The  Unseen  Universe,"  p.  229). 

Whether,  therefore,  life  be  given  at  every  birth,  or  is  conferred 
through  a  long  line  of  evolved  parents  and  their  offspring,  it  is 
evident  that,  at  all  events,  the  first  living  being  in  the  series  did 
not  derive  its  life-principle  from  inheritance,  for  it  had  no  pro- 
genitors, but  received  immediately  and  for  itself  this  precious  gift 
from  the  Giver  of  all  life, — the  Intelligent  Creator.  But  why  should 
we  limit  God's  power  to  work  miracles  to  these  two  solitary  in- 
stances,— the  first  creative  impulse  to  the  universe  and  the  origin 
of  life? 

Because,  it  may  be  said,  all  miracles  are  contrary  to  experience. 


MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 


187 


But  to  whose  experience?  To  our  own?  Possibly;  though  many 
persons,  in  respect  to  answers  to  prayer,  would  assert  the  contrary. 
To  the  experience  of  the  majority  of  mankind?  Probably;  for,  to 
be  a  miracle  at  all,  it  must  be  an  unusual  occurrence.  To  univer- 
sal experience?  But  to  say  that  begs  the  question.  Millions  have 
believed  that  miracles  have  occurred,  and  have  testified  to  the  fact. 
We  should  always  remember  that  comprehension  is  not  always  a 
condition  of  knowledge.  We  hold  as  verities  many  things  which  we 
do  not  understand.  We  know,  for  example,  and  believe  in  the  in- 
conceivable velocity  of  light,  the  infinitude  of  space,  and  the  exist- 
ence of  an  interstellar  ether, — ^but  who  can  comprehend  these  won- 
ders? We  may  not,  therefore,  comprehend  how  God  can  work  a 
miracle,  and  yet  believe  that  He  has  done  so. 

To  deny  the  possibility  of  God's  intervention  in  His  own  world 
is  to  make  matter  independent  of  its  Maker,  and  the  machine  supe- 
rior to  its  Constructor.  God  would  thus  be  thrust  into  the  back- 
ground of  His  universe!  What  would  He  be  in  that  event?  Matter! 
The  universe  is  now  interpreted  for  the  most  part  in  terms  of  Force; 
and  this  we  see  in  a  million  forms,  not  acting  blindly,  but  in  a  defi- 
nite direction,  and  evidently  guided  by  Intelligence.  What  is  such 
Force  except  another  name  for  the  action  of  God's  will?  Cannot 
God  work  on  matter  by  His  will,  as  easily  as  we  ourselves  work  on 
the  matter  of  our  bodies  by  our  wills?  Incomprehensible?  But 
can  we  comprehend  how,  by  a  mental,  immaterial  volition,  we  make 
our  fingers  fly  along  the  keys  of  a  piano  or  the  strings  of  a  violin 
in  difficult  arpeggios?  The  way  in  which  the  human  mind  works 
upon  matter,  arresting  or  changing  the  ordinary  course  of  its  laws, 
may  be  incomprehensible,  but  the  fact  is  indisputable.  It  is  not  a 
miracle,  but  it  sufficiently  resembles  one  to  make  the  denial  of  the 
possibility  of  a  miracle  on  such  a  ground  unreasonable.  How  dare 
we  say  that  God  cannot  control  and  intercept  the  ordinary  course 
of  natural  laws,  if  in  His  infinite  wisdom  He  sees  fit  to  do  so? 

In  our  attitude  towards  the  miraculous  everything  depends  upon 
our  conception  of  God  Himself.  If  we  regard  Him  as  our  Father, 
we  find  it  natural  that  He  should  sometimes  intervene  in  behalf  of 
His  children ;  and  if  He  wishes  to  do  this,  how  can  He  reveal  Him- 
self to  us,  instruct  us,  warn  us,  save  us  and  assist  us,  without 
using  what  seem  to  us  supernatural  means,  because  we  know  only 
"natural"  means? 

If  we  believe  in  answers  to  our  prayers,  we  ought  to  have  no 
difficulty  in  believing  properly  attested  miracles.  All  who  pray  with 
faith  must  logically  admit  their  possibility.  It  is  true,  the  Ration- 
alist sneers  at  prayer;  but,  as  we  saw  in  the  previous  chapter,  he 
does  so  in  defiance  of  the  fact  that  the  soul  of  every  spiritual  man, 
consciously  or  unconsciously,  longs  for  communion  with  his  Maker. 


i88 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


In  fact,  the  want  of  such  communion  is  the  cause  of  that  impatient 
restlessness  and  discontent  which  make  material,  irreligious  lives  so 
full  of  ennui,  disillusion  and  despair.  Sceptics  object  that  God 
knows  all  our  wants  before  we  ask  Him,  and  that  He  needs  not  either 
our  petitions,  or  those  of  others  for  us;  yet  prayer  remains  not  only 
a  divinely  implanted  instinct  of  the  soul,  but  is  also  a  part  of  the 
Divine  scheme  of  things ;  and  though  we  may  have  cynically  argued 
against  prayer  a  thousand  times,  nevertheless,  in  hours  of  danger  and 
distress,  our  hearts  spontaneously  turn  to  God.  It  is  the  supreme 
distinction  of  man  that  he  is  able  to  commune  with  God;  not  with 
an  unknown,  vague,  impersonal  "Ini&nite"  and  "Absolute," — a  "Some- 
thing, not  ourselves,  that  makes  for  righteousness,"  for  man  needs, — 
and  according  to  Christ  can  find, — ^in  God  a  personal  Father. 

Hence  man  instinctively  desires  to  go  to  Him  in  prayer.  The 
historian  Guizot  has  well  said: — ^" Alone,  of  all  living  beings  here 
below,  man  prays.  There  is  not,  among  all  his  moral  instincts,  a 
more  natural,  a  more  universal,  a  more  invincible  one  than  that  of 
prayer.  The  child  betakes  himself  to  it  with  ready  docility;  the 
aged  man  returns  to  it,  as  a  refuge  amid  decay  and  isolation. 

"Prayer  arises  spontaneously,  alike  upon  young  lips  that  scarce 
can  lisp  the  name  of  God,  and  on  expiring  ones  that  have  hardly 
strength  enough  left  to  pronounce  it.  Among  every  people,  cele- 
brated or  obscure,  civilised  or  barbarian,  acts  and  formulae  of  in* 
vocation  meet  us  at  every  step.  Everywhere,  where  there  are  living 
men,  under  certain  circumstances,  at  certain  hours,  under  certain 
impressions  of  the  soul,  eyes  are  raised,  hands  are  clasped,  and 
knees  are  bent,  to  implore  or  to  thank,  to  adore  or  to  appease.  With 
joy  or  with  terror,  publicly  or  in  the  secrecy  of  his  own  heart,  it  is 
to  prayer  that  man  turns,  as  a  last  resource,  to  fill  the  void  places 
of  his  soul,  or  to  bear  the  burdens  of  his  life.  It  is  in  prayer  that 
he  seeks,  when  all  else  fails  him,  a  support  for  his  weakness,  com- 
fort in  his  sorrows,  and  hope  for  his  virtue.  This  universal  and 
natural  act  of  prayer  witnesses  to  a  natural  and  universal  faith  in 
the  abiding  and  ever-free  action  of  God  upon  man  and  his  destiny" 
("L'Eglise  et  la  Societe  chretienne,"  pp.  22-24). 

Nothing  is  taught  more  clearly  in  every  portion  of  the  Bible  than 
that  God  desires  to  have  His  children  pray  to  Him.  Christ's  words 
are  unmistakable  on  this  point.  Not  only  did  He  teach  mankind 
the  prayer  which  bears  His  name,  but  He  particularly  said: — "What- 
soever ye  shall  ask  in  My  name  that  will  I  do";  and  "All  things 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  ye  shall  receive";  "Pray 
for  them  that  despitefuUy  use  you";  "Watch  ye,  therefore,  and  pray 
always."  The  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  John  are  also  full  of 
admonitions  to  pray,  and  we  may  well  conclude  from  them  that 

"Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath." 


MIRACLES.  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 


189 


Certainly  nothing  unites  the  soul  to  God  so  firmly  and  so  tenderly 
as  prayer,  and  nothing  is  more  horrible  to  think  of  than  a  prayerless 
world  1  Poor,  ignorant,  ephemeral  creatures, — we,  who  do  not  know 
whether  we  shall  draw  another  breath,  how  dare  we  lift  our  puny 
heads  defiantly  towards  starlit  space,  and  sneeringly  refuse  to  kneel 
before  the  Infinite  Creator  of  the  universe, — too  proud  to  ask  Him 
for  His  aid,  or  thank  Him  for  His  mercies! 

The  attitude  of  the  Bible  toward  miracles  is  also  unequivocal. 
From  beginning  to  end  it  takes  for  granted  the  existence  of  an  un- 
seen, spiritual  world,  peopled  with  spiritual  beings,  who  are  often 
close  to  us,  and  influence  our  minds  and  deeds.  It  teaches  also  that 
under  certain  conditions  and  to  certain  persons  those  spiritual  beings 
manifest  themselves  by  visions,  words  or  dreams,  as  messengers  from 
God,  and  as  angelic  helpers  of  our  poor  humanity.  Do  those  who 
read  these  lines  dismiss  the  Bible's  picture  of  the  universe  as  childish? 
Let  them  remember  that,  whereas,  fifty  years  ago,»men  scoffed  at 
everything  pertaining  to  the  supernatural,  and  laughed  at  the  idea 
of  any  spiritual  world  and  psychical  phenomena,  to-day  some  of  the 
ablest  scientists  are  working  hard  to  obtain,  if  possible,  convincing 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  spiritual  beings,  and  of  their  intimate 
connection  with  our  minds. 

Nothing  that  either  the  Bible  or  the  Church  has  ever  told  of 
miracles,  of  angels'  admonitions,  of  warning  dreams  and  visions,  or 
of  direct  communications  from  the  spirit  world,  is  more  incredible 
than  much  that  leading  scientists  now  relate  as  facts,  or  reckon  with 
as  possibilities!  They  ask  us  to  accept,  as  true,  statements  which, 
made  by  theologians,  would  be  greeted  with  derision. 

Moreover,  the  miracles  recorded  by  the  Bible  and  the  Church 
have  at  least  the  noble  background  of  a  religion  dating  back  for 
thousands  of  years,  and  have  invariably  for  their  object  some  im- 
portant aim  connected  with  the  kingdom  of  God,  with  the  advent  of 
His  Son  upon  our  earth,  or  with  the  assistance  of  His  Saints  in  the 
promulgation  of  the  Gospel.  But  the  marvels,  certified  to  by  modern 
psychic  investigators,  seem  purposeless  and  relatively  valueless. 

When  St.  Joseph,  for  example,  was  warned  in  a  dream  to  take  the 
young  Child  and  His  Mother  and  go  into  Egypt,  there  was  a  most 
important  reason  for  that  warning,  connected  with  the  life  and  safety 
of  the  Christ-Child.  But  the  dreams  mentioned  by  the  Society  for 
Psychical  Research  are  usually  admonitions  or  announcements  to 
some  private  individuals  about  trivial  worldly  matters,  and  hence 
must  be  regarded  as  being  far  less  worthy  of  credence  than  a  warn- 
ing relative  to  the  Son  of  God.  I  do  not  deny  the  truth  of  many  of 
the  remarkable  communications  said  to  have  been  made,  or  of  the 
apparitions  of  the  dead,  at  the  very  moment  of  their  decease,  to  rela- 
tives thousands  of  miles  away.    I  only  claim  that  if  the  Psychists 


1 90 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


ask  from  us  respect  and  credence  for  their  assertions,  they  should  be 
equally  tolerant  towards  the  assertions  of  the  Bible  and  the  Church. 
This  is,  however,  seldom  the  case. 

Let  any  scientist  state  that  several  thousand  atoms  can  find  room 
and  to  spare  on  the  p)oint  of  a  needle,  and  his  declaration  will  appear 
to  many  people  as  being  far  more  credible  than  that  the  Son  of  God 
restored  a  blind  man's  sight,  or  multiplied  five  loaves  of  bread  and 
two  small  fishes  for  a  famished  multitude.  Yet  the  atomic  theory 
rests  entirely  on  inference.  No  one  has  ever  seen  an  atom,  or  ever 
will  see  one,  however  absolutely  he  may  believe  in  its  existence.  Can 
we  not,  therefore,  also  by  inference,  if  from  nothing  more,  believe  in 
a  spirit  world,  though  we  have  never  actually  seen  a  disembodied 
spirit?  The  readiness  of  certain  people  to  believe  some  supernatural 
facts,  which  they  wish  to  beheve,  and  their  unwillingness  to  accept 
other  facts,  just  as  credible,  which  they  do  not  wish  to  believe,  is  a 
peculiarity  of  human  nature  often  to  be  met  with,  quite  apart  from 
the  piety  or  infidelity  of  the  individual.  Modern  disbelievers  in 
Christianity  are  wont  to  scoff  at  the  "superstition  of  Catholics,"  be- 
cause of  their  belief  in  miracles;  yet  frequently  these  critics  are 
themselves  more  superstitious  than  the  objects  of  their  criticism. 

How  can  men  flippantly  denounce  believers  in  Christianity  as 
superstitious  and  credulous,  when  Jwbelievers  in  Christianity  never 
were  more  credulous  and  superstitious  than  they  are  to-day?  That 
many  of  these  accept,  as  real  communications  from  the  spirit  world, 
the  twaddle  and  inanity  said  to  be  brought  to  them  by  "Httle  Indian 
maidens"  and  even  by  distinguished  personalities,  who  have  left  this 
life,  and  apparently  have  lost  whatever  intelligence  they  possessed 
here,  is  as  sad  as  it  is  amazing.  What  plummet  line  has  also  ever 
fathomed  the  abysmal  depths  of  the  credulity  of  many  who  dabble 
in  the  "occult"?  What  nonsense,  too,  is  often  swallowed  blindly 
by  the  dazed  disciple  of  some  Indian  "Mahatma,"  sent  to  Europe 
or  to  America  to  make  converts!  In  these  days,  when  individual 
"private  judgment"  is  declared  to  be  the  unique  test  of  truth,  a 
man  has  only  to  proclaim  what  is  apparently  incredible,  and  he  will 
find  believers.  Or  let  a  woman  wrap  herself  in  veils  of  sufficient 
mystery  and  speak  an  almost  unintelligible  language,  and  thousands 
will  be  found  to  hail  her  as  a  prophetess,  make  pilgrimages  to  her 
home,  as  to  a  shrine,  and  build  fine  churches  in  her  honour.  Ef- 
frontery, grandiloquence  and  mystery  are  all  that  is  required  to 
create  new  cults,  especially  if  they  are  announced  as  being  destined 
to  replace  Christianityl 

I  have  a  friend  who  disbelieves  in  the  Resurrection  of  Christ  and 
mocks  at  the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation,  yet  he  believes  that  a 
dead  Professor  sends  dictations  from  the  spirit  world  to  his  former 
housekeeper,  who  gives  them  out  as  scientific  articles  from  ghost- 


MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 


191 


land  I  He  ridicules  the  Angels'  message  of  good  will  at  Bethlehem, 
yet  holds  as  something  probable  the  theory  of  a  scientist,  whose 
strange  experiments  are  supposed  to  prove  that  certain  magnetic 
emanations  (visible  to  the  initiated)  stream  forth  from  men,  women, 
animals  and  metals  1  From  human  beings  blue  flames  emanate  from 
the  right  side  of  the  body,  and  yellow  flames  from  the  left;  and 
similar  emanations  issue  from  photographs,  revealing  to  "sensitives" 
in  a  darkened  room  the  information  whether  the  pictures  are  those 
of  males  or  females;  while  "flames"  from  a  letter  also  indicate  the 
sex  of  the  writer  I  This  sort  of  thing  convinces  one  that  many 
sceptics  of  the  Bible  believe  what  is  asserted  in  the  name  of  Science 
with  a  docility  and  faith  which  are  conspicuously  absent  when  they 
have  to  deal  with  the  Revelation  of  Almighty  God! 

Whether  God  actually  made  this  Revelation,  has  been  already 
considered  in  a  former  chapter.  That  is  a  matter  for  man's  reason 
to  determine,  with  the  help  of  God.  But  when  we  are  convinced 
that  such  a  Revelation  has  been  made,  then  Faith  must  necessarily 
accept  what  that  Divine  Revelation  tells  us,  even  though  the  atmos- 
phere of  mystery,  which  everywhere  surrounds  us  here,  is  not  thereby 
entirely  removed.  Those  who  decline  to  believe  in  the  miraculous 
on  the  ground  that  they  "accept  nothing  on  the  testimony  of  others," 
forget  that  they  do  practically  nothing  else  than  take  the  testimony 
of  others  their  whole  life  long.  What  do  they  know,  from  personal 
inspection  of  the  original  documents,  of  any  one  of  thousands  of 
historical  and  biographical  statements,  which  nevertheless  they  im- 
plicitly believe  on  the  testimony  of  strangers — mostly  dead?  What 
do  they  know,  from  actual  experience,  of  many  portions  of  our  earth, 
which  bold  explorers  have  described?  What  do  they  know,  from 
personal  examination,  of  the  truth  of  countless  marvellous  assertions 
made  in  reference  to  astronomy,  biology,  chemistry,  and  a  score  of 
other  fields  of  investigation  in  the  natural  world? 

M.  Pouchet,  for  example,  an  honoured  member  of  the  Institute 
of  France,  in  his  book  "The  Universe"  tells  us  that  by  means  of  a 
modern  microscope  it  is  possible  to  enlarge  a  surface  fifty-six  million 
times/  That  by  this  instrument  animalcules,  invisible  to  the  unaided 
vision,  can  be  seen  and  studied  separately,  although  ten  thousand 
of  them  could  be  ranged  along  the  length  of  an  inch!  He  also  states 
that  the  chalk  cliffs  of  England,  and  indeed  whole  mountains  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as  thousands  of  miles  of  coral  reefs,  are 
composed  of  the  skeletons  of  tiny  creatures,  millions  of  whose  corpses 
would  not  have  filled  the  space  of  a  cubic  inch;  that  a  drop  of  water 
sometimes  contains  more  atomic  bodies  than  there  are  inhabitants 
on  our  planet;  that  a  common  fly,  which  we  so  lightly  kill,  has  eight 
thousand  eyes,  and  certain  butterflies  twenty-five  thousand,  and  that 
a  fly's  wings  vibrate,  in  a  rapid  flight,  3,600  times  in  a  second!    If 


192 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 


193 


we  accept  these  and  countless  other  inconceivable  statements,  as  cor- 
rect, it  is  evident  that  the  vast  majority  of  us  do  so  on  faith,  de- 
pending solely  on  the  assertions  of  a  very  few  individuals,  most  of 
whom  we  have  never  seen.  We  are  all  disciples  of  someone,  and 
many  of  us  accept  the  declarations  of  the  "Popes  of  Science"  quite 
as  submissively  as  Catholics  receive  an  ex  cathedra  utterance  of  the 
Holy  See.  Those  scientific  Popes,  however,  are  not  infallible,  and 
they  confess  themselves  unable  to  explain  the  whence,  why  and 
wherefore  of  the  marvellous  phenomena  which  they  record.  Hence, 
in  the  last  analysis,  it  is  as  true  of  Science  as  of  Religion  that  "we 
walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight." 

In  fact,  our  latest  Science  teaches  us  the  reality  of  the  Unseen, 
and  asks  us  to  believe  in  forces,  which  are  not  only  invisible,  but 
almost  inconceivable.  We  are  assured  that  heat  in  all  things,  in- 
cluding our  own  bodies,  is  caused  by  the  intensely  rapid  vibration  of 
their  molecules ;  that  we  are  being  whirled  through  space  at  a  speed 
of  eighteen  miles  a  second,  though  we  are  utterly  unconscious  of  any 
motion  at  all ;  and  that  a  constant  warfare,  on  which  oiu*  very  lives 
depend,  is  going  on  between  two  mighty  armies  of  millions  of  bacilli 
in  our  blood!  When  shall  we  learn  that,  in  thinking  of  the  Super- 
natural and  our  relations  to  it,  we  are  (aside  from  what  God^s 
Revelation  teaches  us)  like  a  colony  of  ants,  discussing  the  circum- 
ference of  the  earth,  or  the  climate  of  the  North  Pole?  Yet  we 
insist  on  measuring  infinity  with  our  poor  human  standards,  refusing 
to  believe  there  may  be  other  standards,  which  the  Infinite  can  use 

at  will! 

•  •••••• 

When  I  approached  this  subject  from  the  standpoint  of  the  Chris- 
tian believer,  I  found  its  solution  naturally  much  easier;  for  the 
believing  Christian  not  only  admits  the  possibility  of  miracles,  but 
accepts  as  true  the  statement  that  they  actually  occurred  at  certain 
times  in  the  course  of  God's  relations  with  the  human  race.  Some 
of  the  accounts  of  miraculous  appearances,  recorded  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, may  perhaps  be  looked  upon  as  allegorical,  but  no  true 
Christian  doubts  the  miracles  which  accompanied  the  birth,  death, 
resurrection  and  earthly  ministrations  of  the  Saviour  of  mankind. 
For  what  are  the  Gospels,  for  the  most  part,  but  records  of  the 
Supernatural, — from  the  song  of  the  Angels  before  Bethlehem  to  the 
Ascension  of  the  world's  Redeemer? 

The  figures  of  the  early  Christian  history  move  constantly  before 
a  background  necessarily  miraculous.  Jesus  Himself  confirms  and 
sanctions  this  conception  of  the  universe.  In  fact,  if  miracles  are 
impossible,  so  is  Christianity.  Stripped  of  its  supernatural  elements, 
the  story  of  Christianity  is  a  deception,  and  (what  is  worse)  its 


Founder  was  Himself  a  deceiver.  It  is  impossible  to  escape  from 
the  conclusion  that  either  Jesus  wrought  the  miracles  ascribed  to 
Him  in  the  Gospels,  or  else  that  He  intentionally  deceived  His  dis- 
ciples in  regard  to  them;  for  He  Himself  repeatedly  appealed  to 
those  miracles,  as  proofs  of  His  Divine  mission.  In  direct  answer 
to  the  question: — ^*^Art  thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look  for 
another?"  He  replied: — ^**Go  and  show  John  again  those  things 
which  ye  do  hear  and  see:  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame 
walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised 
up,  and  the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them"  (St.  Matt.  xi. 
4,  5).  Again  He  said: — ^'^If  I  do  not  the  works  of  My  Father,  be- 
lieve me  not.  But  if  I  do,  though  ye  believe  not  Me,  believe  the 
works"  (St.  John  x.  37,  38).  Again: — ^^1  have  greater  witness  than 
that  of  John;  for  the  works  which  the  Father  hath  given  Me  to 
finish, — the  same  works  that  I  do,  bear  witness  of  Me  that  the 
Father  hath  sent  Me'*  (St.  John  v.  36).  Now  if  Christ  really  per- 
formed those  works  of  healing,  if  He  did  actually  raise  the  daughter 
of  Jairus,  and  Lazarus,  and  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Naim  from  the 
dead,  the  objections  of  the  Rationalist  fall  to  the  ground.  But  if 
He  did  not  raise  them  from  the  dead,  then, — since  He  claimed  to  do 
these  deeds,  as  proofs  of  His  Divinity, — ^He  was  in  truth  the  blas- 
phemous impostor  that  the  chief  priests  said  He  was.  Anyone  who, 
though  really  only  human,  induces  men  to  worship  him  as  God,  is 
both  a  conscienceless  trickster  and  a  promoter  of  idolatry. 

In  considering  the  credibility  of  Christ's  miracles,  we  should  also 
not  forget  that  they  were  often  wrought  in  the  presence  of  hostile 
and  sceptical  observers.  The  whole  ninth  chapter  of  St.  John^s 
Gospel  is  an  illustration  of  this  fact.  There  were  at  first  the  neigh- 
bours, who  had  doubts  about  the  identity  of  the  blind  man  whom 
Christ  had  cured ;  then  came  the  Pharisees,  who  questioned  critically 
both  the  blind  man  and  his  parents;  there  were  also  the  Jews,  who 
were  determined,  if  possible,  to  discredit  Jesus,  and  to  expel  from 
the  synagogue  anyone  who  should  believe  in  Him ;  and  finally  there 
were  those  who  cursed  the  man  who  had  regained  his  sight,  drove 
him  from  their  midst,  and  excommunicated  him.  Mark  the  conclu- 
sion. "Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out,  and  when  He  had 
found  him.  He  said  unto  him: — Dost  thou  believe  on  the  Son  of 
God?  He  answered  and  said: — ^Who  is  He,  Lord,  that  I  might  be- 
lieve on  Him?  And  Jesus  said  unto  him: — Thou  hast  both  seen 
Him,  and  it  is  He  that  talketh  with  thee.  And  he  said: — Lord,  I 
believe.    And  he  worshipped  Him." 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  explain  away  Christ's  miracles, 
but  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  early  opponents  of  Christianity 
did  not  try  to  deny  their  reality.  Admitting  the  facts,  they  sought 
to  account  for  them  by  saying  that  Jesus  had  made  use  of  magic. 


194 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Celsus,  for  example,  ascribed  them  to  Christ's  acquaintance  with 
occult  philosophy,  acquired  by  Him  in  Egypt!  There  is  even  a  party 
among  modern  Rationalists,  which  claims  that  the  works  attributed 
to  Christ  were  not  sufficiently  striking  and  convincing  to  command 
men's  credence!  These  critics  say  that  the  miracles  should  have 
been  much  more  spectacular.  If  Christ,  they  argue,  had  descended 
from  the  Cross,  or  if  an  attestation  of  His  Godhead  had  been  written 
on  the  sky  in  flaming  letters,  then  no  one  could  have  doubted,  and 
there  would  have  remained  an  overwhelming  proof  of  His  Divinity; 
whereas  now  .  .  . !  But  such  objectors  seem  to  forget  th^t  prac- 
tically no  miracle  can  convince  those  who  are  unwilling  to  believe. 

Not  one  of  Christ's  bitter  enemies  was  convinced  of  His  Divinity 
by  any  of  the  miracles  which  they  knew  He  wrought.  On  the  con- 
trary, because  He  did  perform  them,  they  desired  to  kill  Him!  The 
chief  priests  and  Pharisees  made  His  miracles  their  principal  reason 
for  destroying  Him,  saying: — ^"What  do  we?  for  this  man  doeth 
many  miracles.  If  we  let  him  thus  alone,  all  men  will  believe  on 
him."  They  even  wanted  to  put  innocent  Lazarus  to  death,  be- 
cause his  resurrection  had  made  many  converts!  (St.  John  xii.  lo, 
II.)  If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  "will  to  believe,"  there  is  also  a 
will  not  to  believe.  A  message  flashed  across  the  heavens,  to  the 
effect  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  would  probably  have  been  de- 
scribed, twenty-four  hours  after  its  disappearance,  as  a  "curious 
cloud-effect";  even  a  descent  from  the  Cross  would  have  been 
thought  a  fantasy  by  all  who  had  not  actually  seen  it;  and  some 
even  of  those  eyewitnesses  would  probably  have  subsequently  let 
themselves  be  persuaded  that  the  event  had  not  occurred  "objec- 
tively." Plausible  "explanations"  of  any  miracle  can  be  made,  and, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  always  have  been  made,  by  the  incredulous. 
Renan  even  suggests  that  Lazarus,  instead  of  really  rising  from  the 
dead,  had  not  died  at  all,  but  had  caused  himself,  to  gratify  some 
morbid  fancy,  to  be  wrapped  in  cerements,  and  shut  up  in  the  family 
tomb!  So,  when  the  sepulchre  of  Christ  was  found  to  be  empty,  the 
Jews  declared  that  His  disciples  must  have  come  by  night  and  stolen 
the  body.    Sic  erat  in  principio,  nunc  est,  et  semper  erit. 

It  is  evidently  not  God's  purpose  to  compel  men  to  believe  in  the 
supernatural;  nor  will  He  use  such  overpowering  means  for  that 
object  as  shall  destroy  their  freedom  of  will.  Miracles  are  not  in- 
tended to  be  like  blows  from  a  bludgeon,  to  reduce  men  to  sub- 
jection; they  are  invitations  to  faith.  Considering,  then,  that  there 
were  the  best  of  antecedent  reasons  why  miraculous  events  should 
herald  and  accompany  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God  on  earth,  the  tes- 
timony for  them  in  the  Gospels  is  amply  sufficient.  If  we  refuse  to 
believe  it,  it  is  not  likely  that  we  should  do  so,  "even  though  one 
rose  from  the  dead." 


MIRACLES,  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN 


195 


Now,  if  we  grant  that  God  at  one  time  did  work  miracles,  in 
order  to  convince  and  to  convert  men,  there  is  no  a  priori  reason 
why  such  proofs  ot  His  assistance  and  protection  should  not  be 
repeated.  It  is,  in  fact,  more  difficult  to  believe  that  God  would 
work  one  miracle  only  and  no  more,  than  that  He  should  work 

many. 

Upon  what  ground  do  Protestants  assert  that  the  "age  of  miracles 
is  past"?  The  Bible  does  not  say  so.  On  the  contrary,  it  relates 
that  Jesus  said  to  His  disciples:— "Verily,  verily,  I  say  imto  you, 
he  that  believeth  in  Me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also,  and 
greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do,  because  I  go  to  the  Father." 
If,  therefore,  the  Church  which  Christ  established  still  exists,  and 
if  'its  mission  is  not  ended,  why  should  not  God  employ  at  times  the 
same  miraculous  means  to  strengthen  faith,  to  rivet  man's  attention, 
and  to  convince  an  unbelieving  race?    There  is  no  reason  why  He 

should  not  do  so. 

Examining  my  own  position,  in  the  light  of  these  considerations, 
I  found  it  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  Creator  had  worked  miracles 
at  the  beginning  of  this  universe,  as  we  know  it,  and  also  at  some 
subsequent  stages  of  its  development,  notably  at  the  epoch  of  the 
origin  of  life.  I  believed  also  that  in  connection  with  the  most  stu- 
pendous fact  in  history,— the  Incarnation,— the  Miraculous  became  I 
necessary,  and  that  its  absence,  under  the  circumstances,  would  have 
been  incongruous.  I  believed,  too,  in  the  Resurrection  of  Christ,  not 
merely  from  historical  evidence,  but  also  because  the  occurrence  of 
that  great  event  was  absolutely  essential,  in  order  to  put  God's  seal 
for  ever  on  the  whole  redemptive  drama.  I  believed,  moreover,  that 
God  has,  since  that  time,  worked  many  miracles  in  re^onse  to 
prayer  among  the  Saints  of  the  Church,  and  also  among  private  in- 
dividuals. I  saw,  therefore,  nothing  improbable  in  the  idea  that 
miracles  may,  at  any  time,  be  wrought  by  the  will  of  God  for  the 
Church's  inspiration,  comfort  and  increase  of  faith. 

But  whether  all  the  modern  miracles,  which  are  alleged^  to  have 
occurred,  really  did  occur,  and  are  capable  of  verification,  is  a  mat- 
ter of  opinion,  not  of  faith.  The  Church  forces  on  no  one  a  belief 
in  any  particular  modern  miracles.  For  most  of  these  she  assumes 
no  responsibility,  and  may  pronounce  no  formal  condemnation  of 
them,  unless  she  sees  that  they  are  really  incredible,  and  liable  to  do 
harm.  She  recognises  that  even  in  the  credulity  of  many  simple 
souls  there  lies  the  germ  of  the  great  truth  of  the  possibility  of 
miracles.  What  she  requires  of  her  children  is  a  full  belief  that  God 
in  the  past  has  wrought  miracles,  and  can  work  more.  Belief  in 
modern  miracles  is,  therefore,  chiefly  an  affair  of  evidence.  To  one 
good  Catholic  a  miracle  at  Lourdes  appears  to  be  well  proved;  an- 
other equally  good  Catholic  may  not  find  it  so.  So  long  as  the  Church 


196 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


has  not  settled  the  question,  her  children  are  free  to  believe  what 
they  like  in  regard  to  it. 

There  was,  however,  one  modem  miracle  of  which  I  personally 
could  not  doubt, — my  own  conversion!  Two  years  before  I  began 
to  write  this  book  I  should  have  said  it  was  as  probable  that  a  dead 
tree  could  bloom  again,  or  a  descending  river  turn  back  in  its  course, 
as  that  I  ever  could  believe  in  Christ's  Divinity  and  in  His  Church. 
That  was  to  me  the  miracle  of  miracles.  If  God  could  call  and 
bring  me  once  more  to  Himself,  after  so  many  years  of  infidelity, 
why  should  I  doubt  the  story  of  Christ's  healing  of  the  blind  man? 
Like  him,  I  now  exclaimed:— "One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I 
once  was  blind,  I  now  see." 


Chapter  XIX 

TEE  VENERATION  OF  IMAGES  AND  RELICS 

He  who  is  indifferent  to  a  picture,  a  letter,  or  any  personal  me- 
mento of  a  departed  friend,  never  really  loved  him. 

"I  love  it,  I  love  it;  and  who  shall  dare 
To  chide  me  for  loving  that  old  Armchair? 
I've  treasured  it  long,  as  a  sainted  prize ; 
IVe  bedewed  it  with  tears,  and  embalmed  it  with  sighs; 
'Tis  bound  by  a  thousand  bands  to  my  heart; 
Not  a  tie  will  break,  not  a  link  will  start; 
Would  ye  learn  the  spell?— A  mother  sat^there; 
And  a  sacred  thing  is  that  old  Armchair." 

Eliza  Cook. 

THE  so-called  "Worship  of  Images"  in  the  Catholic  Church 
presented  to  me  no  special  difficulty,  and  I  should  hardly 
think  it  worthy  of  mention  here,  did  not  some  Protestants 
entertain  upon  the  subject  a  prejudice  which  is  as  unjustified  as  it 
is  surprising.  There  stand  before  me  in  my  library,  as  I  write,  two 
marble  busts,— one  of  the  Emperor  Marcus  Aurelius,  the  other  of 
Dante.  When  I  read  the  "Meditations"  of  the  former,  or  the 
"Divine  Comedy"  of  the  latter,  I  often  raise  my  eyes  towards  those 
two  works  of  art  with  satisfaction.  Upon  my  desk,  too,  is  a  picture 
of  my  sainted  mother.  How  often  have  I  looked  upon  this  through 
a  mist  of  tears,  and  even  spoken  words  to  her,  whose  features  thus 
confronted  me.  But  if  I  thus  enjoy  these  likenesses  of  an  admired 
moralist,  a  famous  poet,  and  my  beloved  mother,  why  should  I  not 
find  consolation  and  enjoyment  in  the  contemplation  of  two  further 
objects  which  adorn  my  walls,— a  finely  carved  Tyrolean  crucifix 
and  a  copy  of  one  of  Raphael's  Madonnas?  If  I  feel  love  and  rev- 
erence for  Jesus  and  the  Blessed  Virgin,  why  should  I  not  enjoy 
appropriate  representations  of  them,  at  least  as  much  as  I  enjoy  the 
bust  of  Dante  or  the  portrait  of  my  mother?  If  the  memorials  of 
those  we  love  on  earth  are  precious,  should  souvenirs  of  those  we 
love  in  Heaven  be  less  so? 

The  Catholic  Church  condemns  idolatry  as  an  abomination;  but 
she  maintains  that  proper  reverence  for  sacred  images  is  not  idolatry. 
The  notion  that  a  Catholic  worships  the  image  itself  is  too  absurd 
for  refutation.  The  most  ignorant  peasant  knows  too  much  for  that; 
and  to  the  most  uneducated  Catholic  a  sculptured  crucifix  or  picture 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin  stands  as  a  symbol  only  of  the  Person  repre- 
sented by  it.    Let  those  who  talk  of  the  "worship"  of  images  and 

197 


iqS 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


pictures  ask  a  Catholic  whether  he  or  she  "worships"  the  figure 

Itself!    Clear,  definite  instruction  is  given  on  this  point  in  Catholic 

catechisms  and  in  the  declaration  of  the  Council  of  Trent.    The 

latter  says:— "The  holy  bodies  of  martyrs  and  of  others  now  living 

with  Christ,— which  bodies  were  once  living  members  of  Christ,  and 

temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  which  by  Him  are  to  be  raised  to 

eternal  life  and  to  be  glorified,— are  to  be  venerated  by  the  faithful. 

.  .  .  Moreover  the  images  of  Christ  and  of  the  Virgin  Mother  of 

God,  and  of  the  Saints,  are  to  be  had  and  retained  particularly  in 

temples,  and  due  honour  and  veneration  are  to  be  given  them;  not 

that  any  divinity  or  virtue  is  believed  to  be  in  them  on  account  of 

which  they  are  to  be  worshipped,  or  that  anything  is  to  be  asked  of 

them,  or  that  trust  is  to  be  reposed  in  images,  as  was  of  old  by  the 

Gentiles,  who  placed  their  hope  in  idols;  but  because  the  honour 

which  is  shown  them  is  referred  to  the  prototypes  which  these  images 

represent.  ...  If  any  abuses  have  crept  in  among  these  holy  and 

salutary  observances,  the  Holy  Synod  ardently  desires  that  they  may 

be  utterly  abolished." 

The  English  Penny  Catechism  says  explicitly:— "We  should  give 
to  relics,  crucifixes  and  holy  pictures  an  inferior  and  relative  honour, 
so  far  as  they  relate  to  Christ  and  His  Saints,  and  are  memorials 
of  them.  We  may  not  pray  to  relics  or  images,  for  they  can  neither 
see,  nor  hear,  nor  help  usJ'  In  other  words,  praying  to  a  picture 
or  image  is  categoricaUy  forbidden.  The  accusation  that  Catholics 
worship  these  objects  is,  therefore,  a  calumny.  When  we  lay  wreaths 
at  the  pedestals  of  the  statues  of  national  heroes,  or  bare  our  heads 
before  them  during  a  patriotic  speech,  are  we  "worshipping"  the 
bronze  or  marble  figures  themselves?  To  ask  the  question  is  to 
answer  it.  The  touching  and  consoling  fact  that  God  once  took 
upon  Himself  for  us  a  human  form,  enables  us  reverently  to  repre- 
sent that  form  in  art,  as  a  memorial  of  His  condescension ;  and  it  is 
owing  to  this  fact  that  the  world's  greatest  masters,  from  Raphael 
to  Leonardo,  and  from  Michelangelo  to  Albrecht  Durer,  have  en- 
riched the  world  with  so  many  beautiful  reminders  of  our  Lord  and 
of  His  Mother. 

It  has  always  seemed  strange  to  me  that  Protestants  use  so  spar- 
ingly those  handmaids  of  religion,— painting  and  sculpture.  For- 
merly, indeed,  their  prejudice  against  all  symbols  of  Christianity 
was  so  intense  that  they  not  only  stripped  old  churches,  monasteries 
and  cathedrals  of  their  crosses,  crucifixes,  statues  of  the  Apostles, 
and  pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  but  actually  mutilated  sculptured 
carvings  over  the  portals  of  the  noblest  sanctuaries,  struck  off  the 
noses  from  the  statues  of  bishops  on  their  tombs,  and  whitewashed 
frescoes  of  religious  subjects  upon  cloister  walls!  Even  in  our  own 
times  some  Protestants  have  thought  it  consonant  with  the  worship 


THE  VENERATION  OF  IMAGES  AND  RELICS      199 

of  God  to  make  the  walls  of  their  churches  as  bare  and  unattractive 
as  possible.  Most  of  them  even  now  will  not  erect  a  cross  on  their 
church  steeples,  and  those  who  do  concede  to  this  pathetic  symbol 
of  Christ's  Passion  a  place  upon  the  altar,  will  not  permit  the  figure 
of  the  Crucified  to  hang  upon  it! 

What  is  the  cause  of  this  aversion  to  the  image  of  our  Lord  m 
those  who  claim  to  love  Him,  and  who  sing  such  hymns  as  "In  the 
Cross  of  Christ  I  glory,"  and  "When  I  survey  the  wondrous  Cross, 
on  which  the  Prince  of  glory  died"?  Does  it  not  lie  in  an  unreason- 
able hatred  of  the  Catholic  Church,  which  has  for  ages  held  this 
symbol  as  the  most  sacred  object  in  the  world?  When  people  tell 
me  that  such  memorials  are  unnecessary,  they  speak  the  truth  per- 
haps so  far  as  they  themselves  are  concerned,  but  they  assuredly  can- 
not speak  for  all.  Many  there  are  who  find  such  things  a  blessing. 
It  is  a  matter  of  feeling  and  association,  rather  than  of  intellect.  I, 
for  example,  though  an  educated  man,  and  having  attained  an  age 
when  life  is  seldom  influenced  by  sentimental  emotions,  confess  to  a 
feeling  of  genuine  pleasure  in  seeing  near  me,  when  in  church  or  in 
my  home,  some  beautiful  memento  of  the  Son  of  God,  or  of  His 
Mother,  or  the  Saints.  I  do  not  pray  to  them,  of  course,  yet  often 
during  prayer  or  religious  meditation  I  love  to  turn  my  gaze  to  them, 
as  aids  to  a  devotional  frame  of  mind. 

How  inconsistent  are  those  Protestants  who,  while  condemning 
the  Catholic  use  of  images  and  pictures,  adorn  their  own  church 
windows  with  stained-glass  representations  of  Christ  or  of  the  Saints, 
or  let  their  children  carry  in  Sunday-school  processions  banners 
adorned  with  figures  of  the  Saviour  and  His  Apostles!  In  any  case 
it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Mother  Church  does  not  compel  her^ 
children  to  kneel  or  pray  before  any  statue.  They  may,  if  they 
choose  to  do  so,  offer  up  their  prayers  to  God  in  the  darkest  comer  of 
a  vast  cathedral,  apart  from  any  fair  memorial  of  Saint  or  Saviour. 
The  Church  endeavours  to  adapt  herself  to  all  her  children,  and  to 
respond  to  every  rightful  yearning  of  the  human  soul.  Like  a  wise 
and  devoted  mother,  she  provides  milk  for  her  babes,  as  well  as  meat 
for  men.  Like  Jesus,  she  makes  use  of  parables  and  figures,  as  well 
as  of  the  deepest  theological  philosophy,  and  her  great  hopes  and 
precious  consolations  are  for  all  sinning,  suffering  creatures  of  this 
evil  world.  No  two  intelligences  are  absolutely  alike,  and  hence  m 
the  Catholic  Church  the  intellectually  superior  must  kindly  tolerate 
the  simplicity  of  the  less  learned.  Charity  and  unity  are  the  two 
essentials,  which  make  the  close  association  of  such  dissimilar  human 
elements  possible  within  one  fold. 

Though  to  a  Catholic  peasant  and  to  a  Catholic  scholar  the  same 
words  of  the  liturgy  may  convey  a  meaning  different  in  degree,  the 
difference  is  not  of  kind,  for  the  essential  thought  contained  in  those 


2CX3 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


words  must  be  to  both  of  them  identical.  The  attitude  of  the  two 
men  towards  those  words  may  be  as  dissimilar  as  that  of  a  rustic 
looking  at  a  planet  with  the  naked  eye,  and  an  astronomer  gazing 
at  it  through  a  telescope.  Both  see  it,  yet  how  differently!  The 
peasant  probably  knows  at  most  that  the  satellite  moves  about  the 
sun;  but  the  observer  with  the  telescope  sees  the  planet's  moons, 
reckons  its  speed,  and  analyses  its  component  elements  through  the 
irised  spectrum.  But  both  believe  the  essential  fact  that  it  is  part 
of  God's  creation.  That  for  the  peasant  is  sufficient;  for  what  the 
other's  telescopic  vision  and  deep  study  have  revealed  to  him  might 
fill  the  rustic's  mind  with  doubt  and  dread.  Thus  do  extremes  of 
thought  and  culture  meet  fraternally  beneath  the  Church's  roof,  and 
furnish  further  evidence  of  her  impressive  unity. 

The  democratic  spirit,  so  proverbial  and  universal  in  Catholicism, 
leads  one  also  to  look  with  greater  sympathy  and  comprehension  on 
the  inartistic  ornaments  of  many  humble  Catholic  chapels.    These 
I  had  once  been  inclined  to  ridicule,  but  now  I  realised  that  the 
Catholic  Church  is  not  for  rich  and  cultured  people  only,  but  also 
for  the  poor  and  ignorant.    The  greatest  masters  of  the  ages,  it  is 
true,  have  worked  for  her;  but  if  mosaics,  priceless  paintings  and 
imposing  statues  are  conspicuous  in  her  grand  cathedrals,  equally 
precious  in  God's  sight  are  humble  wayside  shrines  and  the  simple 
offerings  of  the  poor.     We  do  not  sufficiently  consider  how  the 
Catholic  religion  embellishes  the  commonplace  of  life,  and  changes 
into  poetry  the  prosaic  lives  of  those  whose  only  spiritual  home 
and  source  of  inspiration  is  the  House  of  God.    The  memories  of 
artistic  objects  connected  with  their  religion,  crude  and  primitive 
though  they  often  are,  exert  a  lasting  influence  upon  their  characters. 
An  English  writer  has  well  said  of  their  effect  upon  the  Catholic 
peasant:— "Associated  with  the  fondest  recollections  of  his  child- 
hood, and  with  the  music  of  the  church  bells,  .  .  .  painted  over  the 
altar  where  he  received  the  companion  of  his  life,  around  the  ceme- 
tery where  so  many  whom  he  loved  are  laid,  on  the  stations  of  the 
mountains,  on  the  portal  of  the  vineyard,  on  the  chapel  where  the 
storm-tossed  mariner  fulfils  his  grateful  vows,  keeping  guard  over  his 
cottage  door,  and  looking  down  upon  his  humble  bed,  forms  of 
tender  beauty  and  gentle  pathos  for  ever  haunt  the  poor  man's 
fancy,  and  silently  win  their  way  into  the  very  depths  of  his  being. 
More  than  any  spoken  eloquence,  more  than  any  dogmatic  teaching, 
they  transform  and  subdue  his  character,— till  he  learns  to  realise 
the  sanctity  of  weakness  and  suffering, — the  supreme  majesty  of 
compassion  and  gentleness"  (Lecky's  "History  of  European  Morals," 
vol.  ii.,  p.  io6). 

A  word  may  be  said  in  this  connection  in  reference  to  the  use  of 
Relics  among  Catholics,  since  this,  too,  forms  a  stumbling-block  to 


THE  VENERATION  OF  IMAGES  AND  RELICS      20i 

many.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  reverence  for  Christian  relics  is  as 
old  as  Christianity  itself.  St.  Jerome  speaks  of  ''the  venerable 
sepulchres  of  the  martyrs,"  and  St.  Augustine  says: — ^"In  this  place 
we  have  not  made  an  altar  to  St.  Stephen,  but  we  have  made  of  the 
relics  of  St.  Stephen  an  altar  to  God;  for  such  altars  are  pleasing  to 
God."  But,  apart  from  history  and  tradition,  this  is  an  impulse 
common  to  human  nature.  Are  we  not  all  more  or  less  relic-hunters? 
Against  such  souvenirs  in  themselves  no  possible  objection  can  be 
made.  Whoever  has  preserved  a  lock  of  hair  from  the  head  of  some 
loved  friend  or  parent,  long  since  dead;  whoever  cherishes  a  watch, 
a  ring,  or  any  real  memorial  of  one  whose  death  has  left  a  wound 
that  time  can  never  heal;  whoever  looks  with  awe  upon  the  sword 
of  Washington,  or  the  pen  with  which  the  martyred  Lincoln  signed 
the  Act  that  freed  the  slaves;  knows  that  a  love  and  reverence  for 
relics,  personal  or  historic,  forms  one  of  the  strongest  and  most 
universal  characteristics  of  mankind.  If,  then,  the  relics  of  some 
saintly  servant  of  the  Church  lend  an  additional  sanctity  to  a  Chris- 
tian altar,  is  it  a  matter  for  reproach,  or  even  for  surprise?  And  if 
those  relics,  in  response  to  prayer,  are  sometimes  made  the  medium 
of  grace  and  healing  to  the  penitent,  is  that  fact  in  itself  incredible 
or  absurd?  Surely,  if  we  believe  that  God  does  answer  prayer,  and 
does  at  times  work  miracles  of  healing,  can  we  conceive  of  any  more 
likely  means  for  Him  to  choose  for  doing  so,  than  the  revered  me- 
morials of  a  body  which,  while  on  earth,  had  toiled  and  suffered,  and 
it  may  be  died,  to  prove  fidelity  and  love  to  Christ? 

We  read,  for  example,  in  Acts  xix.  12,  that  handkerchiefs  and 
aprons,  which  had  touched  the  body  of  St.  Paul,  cured  people  of 
diseases,  since  "God  wrought  special  miracles"  by  these  means;  and 
in  Acts  V.  15-16,  it  is  said  that  similar  cures  were  made,  if  but  the 
shadow  of  St.  Peter  fell  upon  the  sick.  Nevertheless  (and  this  is  the 
point  to  bear  in  mind),  belief  in  the  genuineness  of  relics  is  merely 
a  matter  of  opinion. 

The  Church,  like  a  loving  mother,  often  tolerates  indulgently  what 
she  does  not  formally  authorise  or  approve.  Hence  this  imagined 
"difficulty'*  ought  to  offer  no  real  obstacle  to  anyone  desiring  ad- 
mission to  the  Church  of  Rome;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  offered 
none  to  me. 


PERSECUTIONS  FOR  HERESY 


203 


Chapter  XX 


PERSECUTIONS  FOR  HERESY  BY  CATHOLICS  AND 

PROTESTANTS 

"The  oppression  of  any  people  for  opinion's  sake  has  rarely  had  any 
other  effect  than  to  fix  those  opinions  deeper,  and  render  them  more 
important." — Hosea  Ballou. 

"Religion  is  to  be  defended  by  dying  ourselves,  not  by  killing 
others." — Lactantius. 

"Les  seulcs  causes  qui  meurent  sont  les  causes  pour  lesquelles  on 
ne  meurt  pas." — Louis  Veuillot. 

"We  hate  some  persons  because  we  do  not  know  them,  and  we  will 
not  know  them  because  we  hate  them." — Colton. 

"The  Religion  that  fosters  intolerance  needs  another  Christ  to  die 
for  it." — Beecher. 

THE  notion  that  the  acceptance  or  rejection  of  a  creed  is 
something  to  be  settled  by  the  individual's  free  and  inde- 
pendent judgment  is  of  comparatively  recent  date.  The 
Reformers,  it  is  true,  talked  much  of  the  right  of  private  judgment 
in  such  matters,  but  their  intolerance  and  persecutions  show  how 
little  liberty  they  gave  to  anyone.  For  centuries  in  every  country 
the  prevalent  religion  was  looked  upon  as  an  essential  characteristic 
of  the  nation,— often  its  most  precious  treasure,  guarded  and  guar- 
anteed by  the  State  itself.  Hence  every  attack  that  was  made  upon 
the  Church,  and  every  doubt  that  was  cast  upon  her  doctrines,  was 
looked  upon  as  a  threat  to  national  security.  Sceptics  were,  there- 
fore, regarded  as  traitors  to  the  State,  and  were  amenable,  not  only 
to  ecclesiastical,  but  also  to  civil  punishment. 

When,  little  by  little,  in  the  disintegrated  Protestant  countries, 
dogmas  came  to  be  of  less  public  importance,  and  Church  and  State 
drew  farther  away  from  each  other,  a  change  took  place.  Their 
jurisdictions  gradually  became  distinct,  and  punishments  grew  less 
severe.  Already  early  in  the  nineteenth  century,  corporal  chastise- 
ment had  almost  wholly  disappeared  from  legal  tribunals,  and  to  a 
great  extent  from  schools  and  families.  On  the  whole,  the  result 
has  been  beneficial,  except  perhaps  in  the  abolition  of  the  whipping- 
post for  certain  cases  of  brutal  cruelty;  but  it  remains  a  fact  that 
we  of  the  present  generation  have  grown  up  in  this  milder  atmos- 
phere, and  are  indignant  when  we  read  of  many  of  the  punishments 
of  former  times,  since  we  are  quite  unused  to  anything  like  them. 
Hence,  in  our  estimate  of  persecutions  for  heresy,  we  must  be  careful 

202 


not  to  take  with  us  into  former  centuries  the  sentiments  of  this 
present  age,  with  its  more  lenient  civil  and  religious  penalties,  and 
its  indifference  to  creeds.  We  should  be  guilty  thus  of  an  anach- 
ronism, which  would  infallibly  prejudice  our  judgment.  In  other 
words,  in  order  to  decide  the  question  fairly,  we  must  transport  our- 
selves as  far  as  possible  into  the  ways  of  thinking  and  acting  which 
then  prevailed.  So  doing,  we  shall  at  once  perceive  that  the  age  in 
which  "religious'*  persecutions  flourished  was,  in  respect  to  punish- 
ments  of  every  kind,  a  cruel  and  a  barbarous  one. 

Even  in  civil  cases,  having  nothing  to  do  with  religion,  the  ap- 
plication of  torture  in  the  examination  of  prisoners  and  even  of  wit- 
nesses was  a  common  occurrence;  and  penalties,  varying  from  muti- 
lation to  death,  were  inflicted  for  the  smallest  offences.  Some  mis- 
demeanours were  punished  by  slitting  the  nostrils  with  scissors; 
others  by  the  lopping  off  of  ears;  while  many  criminals  were  merci- 
lessly whipped  in  public,  in  the  presence  of  a  brutal  crowd.  To  wit- 
ness the  flogging  or  the  execution  of  some  poor  wretch  formed  one 
of  England's  popular  amusements  far  into  the  eighteenth  century. 
Dr.  Dodd,  a  clergyman  who  was  hanged  in  London  for  committing 
forgery,  was,  before  being  taken  to  the  gallows,  exhibited  at  two 
shillings  a  head  I  Debtors  were  kept  for  years  in  fetid  dungeons, 
heavily  loaded  with  chains,  until  released  by  death.  In  England,  as 
late  as  1577,  the  theft  of  a  sum  of  money  exceeding  a  shilling  in 
amount  was  punishable  with  death;  and  no  longer  ago  than  1832, 
death  was  the  legal  penalty  for  stealing  a  sheep,  or  the  sum  of  five 
shillings  from  a  shop  I  And  what  was  true  in  this  respect  of  Eng- 
land was  equally  true  of  other  countries  at  that  time.  When,  there- 
fore, we  read  of  the  horrors  of  "religious"  persecutions,  we  should 
remember  that,  fearful  though  they  were,  they  were  not  exceptional, 
but  in  accordance  with  the  general  spirit  of  the  age. 

We  sometimes  think  of  those  old  ancestors  of  ours,  and  thank 
God  that  we  are  not  like  them,  but  whatever  may  be  said  against 
their  persecutions  for  heresy,  they  at  least  had  for  their  motive  a 
firm  belief  that  the  maintenance  of  certain  Christian  dogmas  was 
essential  for  man's  salvation.  Modem  atrocities,  like  those  of  the 
Congo,  for  example,  have,  on  the  contrary,  no  higher  motives  than 
greed  for  gold,  a  sadic  lust  to  witness  torture,  or  a  relentless  hatred 
of  weaker  races,  usually  of  a  different  colour  I  Moreover,  we  must 
not  conclude  that,  because  the  ancient  mode  of  persecution  for 
religion's  sake  has  disappeared,  the  spirit  of  intolerance  has  entirely 
vanished.  Buckle,  writing  in  1857  in  his  "History  of  Civilisation" 
(vol.  i.,  p.  264),  says: — "In  Sweden,  which  is  one  of  the  oldest 
Protestant  countries  in  Europe,  there  is,— not  occasionally  but 
habitually, — an  intolerance  and  a  spirit  of  persecution,  which  would 
be  discreditable  to  a  Catholic  country,  but  which  is  doubly  dis- 


204 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


PERSECUTIONS  FOR  HERESY 


205 


graceful  when  proceeding  from  a  people  who  profess  to  base  their 
religion  on  the  right  of  private  judgment."  In  England  also,  as  late 
as  1850,  Father  Faber  wrote  as  follows  of  the  treatment  which  he 
and  his  fellow-priests  received,  when  they  had  founded  in  London 
the  Brompton  Oratory: — ^''AU  over  the  walls  you  see:— 'Don't  go 
to  the  Oratory!'  *No  Popery!'  'Down  with  the  Oratorians!'  *Be- 
ware  of  the  Oratorians!'  We  are  cursed  in  the  streets.  Even  *gen- 
tlemen'  shout  from  their  carriages  at  us."  About  the  same  time 
the  British  Press  and  Bishops  of  the  Church  of  England  were  pub- 
lishing against  the  Tractarian  leaders  and  especially  against  New- 
man,— one  of  the  clearest  thinkers  and  most  brilliant  writers  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  as  well  as  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman, — such  vile  invectives  as  the  following: — ''Agents  of 
Satan,"  "Snakes  in  the  grass,"  "Men  polluting  our  Church's  sacred 
edifices,  and  leaving  their  slime  about  her  altars,"  and  "Miscreants, 
whose  heads  may  God  crush"!  From  such  manifestations  of  hatred 
and  hostility  it  would  be  easy  to  pass  to  acts  of  violence,  were  a 
popular  catchword  found,  and  a  fanatical  demagogue  bold  enough  to 

utter  it. 

What  now  prevents  religious  persecution,  with  its  rack  and  stake, 
is  not  so  much  an  amelioration  in  man's  brutal  nature,  as  a  general 
state  of  unbelief  and  indifference  towards  religious  things.  It  is 
easy  to  be  tolerant  when  one  does  not  care;  but  every  faith,  believed 
in  with  intensity,  undoubtedly  inclines  to  persecute  antagonistic 
creeds.  This  is  but  natural.  Whoever  believes  that  his  own  salva- 
tion and  that  of  his  friends  depend  on  holding  a  certain  faith,  is  not 
disposed  to  witness  with  indifference  an  effort  to  destroy  that  faith; 
and  since  the  interests  of  eternity  infinitely  outweigh  those  of  time, 
it  is  almost  inevitable  that  he  should  adopt  stern  measures  to  repress 
what  he  believes  will  put  men's  souls  in  danger  of  perdition. 

Religious  persecution  usually  continues  till  one  of  two  causes  rises 
to  repress  it.  One  is  the  sceptical  notion  that  all  religions  are  equally 
good  or  equally  worthless;  the  other  is  an  enlightened  spirit  of  tol- 
erance, exercised  towards  all  varieties  of  sincere  opinion.  This  lat- 
ter sentiment  is  not  really  Indifferentism.  It  is  inspired  rather  by 
the  conviction  that  it  is  useless  to  endeavour  to  compel  belief  in  any 
form  of  religion  whatsoever.  Unhappily  this  enlightened,  tolerant 
spirit  is  of  slow  growth,  and  never  has  been  conspicuous  in  history; 
but  if  it  be  asserted  that  very  few  Catholics  in  the  past  have  been 
inspired  by  it,  the  same  thing  can  be  said  of  Protestants. 

This  fact  is  forgotten  by  Protestants.  They  read  blood-curdling 
stories  of  the  Inquisition  and  of  atrocities  committed  by  Catholics, 
but  what  does  the  average  Protestant  know  of  Protestant  atrocities 
in  the  centuries  succeeding  the  Reformation?  Nothing,  unless  he 
makes  a  special  study  of  the  subject;  for  in  the  controversial  sermons 


which  he  hears,  nothing  is  said  of  them;  and  in  the  books  and  papers 
which  he  reads  (all  Protestant  publications,  as  a  rule),  nothing  is 
written  of  them.  Yet  they  are  perfectly  well  known  to  every  scholar, 
and  can  be  verified  by  anyone.  If  I  do  not  enumerate  here  the  per- 
secutions carried  on  by  Catholics  in  the  past,  it  is  because  it  is  not 
necessary  in  this  book  to  do  so.  This  volume  is  addressed  especially 
to  Protestants,  and  Catholic  persecutions  are  to  them  sufficiently 
well  known.  The  other  side  of  the  question,  however,  they  do  not 
generally  know. 

Now,  granting  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  all  that  is  usually 
said  of  Catholic  persecutions  is  true,  the  fact  remains  that  Prot- 
estants, as  such,  have  no  right  to  denounce  them,  as  if  such  deeds 
were  characteristic  of  Catholics  only.  People  who  live  in  glass- 
houses should  not  throw  stones.  In  fact,  the  highest  Authority  tells 
us  that  only  those  who  are  without  sin  should  ever  throw  them  at 
all.  Not,  therefore,  to  indulge  in  lapidation,  but  only  to  reveal  to 
certain  Protestants  how  much  glass  is  incorporated  in  the  framework 
of  their  own  Church,  I  cite  a  few  from  many  facts,  which  influenced 
my  own  mind  strongly,  and  may  have  some  effect  on  theirs.  First 
of  all,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  politics  often  played  a  greater 
part  in  the  so-called  "religious"  persecutions  than  religion  itself; 
for,  during  the  wars  engendered  by  the  Reformation,  all  Govern- 
ments took  sides  for  one  religion  or  the  other,  and  almost  every 
nation  was  not  only  menaced  by  its  neighbours,  but  often  was  di- 
vided agamst  itself.  This  is  seen  with  frightful  distinctness  in  the 
history  of  the  religious  Civil  Wars,  which  desolated  England,  France 
and  Germany.  We  have  already,  in  the  chapter  on  the  Church  of 
England,  seen  how  persecution  and  confiscation  were  employed 
against  those  of  the  people  of  England  who  wished  to  remain  Catho- 
lics. But  it  should  be  remembered  also,  as  indicating  the  degree  of 
Protestant  intolerance  then  prevailing,  that  those  atrocities  were  not 
inflicted  upon  Catholics  only. 

Such  of  the  Protestants  as  did  not  conform  to  the  Anglican 
Church,  but  wished  to  "protest^'  a  little  on  their  own  account,  were 
also  persecuted.  Among  these  were  the  Puritans,  who  in  their  turn, 
later  on,  were  to  persecute  those  who  protested  against  them!  The 
treatment  given  to  Dissenters  by  Elizabeth  was  less  severe  than  that 
inflicted  upon  Catholics,  for  the  former  were  regarded  as  misguided 
brethren,  who  had  fallen  from  grace;  but  it  was  bad  enough.  Pres- 
byterians, for  example,  were  often  branded,  exposed  in  the  pillory, 
imprisoned,  banished,  mutilated  and  even  put  to  death.  A  few 
Anabaptists  and  Unitarians  were  burned  alive.  Of  the  Bishops  of 
the  Church  of  England,  Buckle,  in  his  "History  of  Civilisation" 
(vol.  i.,  p.  308),  says: — "Its  Bishops  witnessed  with  composure  the 
most  revolting  cruelties,  because  the  victims  of  them  were  the  op- 


v. 


PERSECUTIONS  FOR  HERESY 


207 


206 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


ponents  of  the  English  Church.  Although  the  minds  of  men  were 
filled  with  terror  and  with  loathing,  the  Bishops  made  no  complaint. 
But  the  moment  James  proposed  to  protect  jrom  persecution  those 
who  were  hostile  to  the  Church,  ...  the  hierarchy  became  alive  to 
the  dangers  with  which  the  country  was  threatened  from  the  violence 
of  so  arbitrary  a  Prince!  .  .  .  The  proximate  cause  of  that  great 
revolution,  which  cost  James  his  crown,  was  the  publication  by  the 
King  of  an  edict  of  religious  toleration!  We  ought  never  to  forget 
that  the  first  and  only  time  the  Church  of  England  has  made  war 
on  the  Crown,  was  when  the  Crown  had  declared  its  intention  of 
tolerating  and  in  some  degree  protecting  the  rival  religions  of  the 
coimtryl"  And  this  toleration  and  protection  the  King  had  wished 
to  give  to  Protestants,  whom  other  Protestants  were  persecuting! 

Space  does  not  permit  a  statement  here  of  the  Protestant  perse- 
cutions of  Catholics  in  France,  where  indeed  they  had  much  less 
opportunity  to  show  intolerance,  since  the  religion  of  the  land  was 
mostly  Catholic;  but  instructive  information  can  be  gained  on  that 
point  by  consulting  the  work  of  Buckle,  mentioned  above  (vol.  ii., 
pp.  50-61),  whose  remarks  are  the  more  noteworthy  because  he,  as 
a  well-known  rationalist  and  critic  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
cannot  be  suspected  of  being  a  partisan  of  the  Catholics. 

We  cannot,  however,  pass  over  in  silence  the  awful  record  of  the 
horrors  perpetrated  by  Protestants  in  Ireland,  the  "Island  of  the 
Saints."  In  1578,  the  Bishop  of  Killala  was  executed;  in  the  same 
year  the  Archbishop  of  Cashel  was  burned  at  the  stake  in  Dublin; 
in  1585,  the  Archbishop  of  Armagh  was  beheaded  at  the  Tower  of 
London;  in  161 1,  the  Bishop  of  Down,  more  than  eighty  years  of 
age,  suffered  martyrdom  at  Dublin.  Of  the  deaths  and  sufferings 
of  the  lesser  clergy  space  fails  to  give  a  description.  The  same 
oppressive  laws,  which  were  enacted  against  Catholics  in  England, 
were  carried  out  with  still  greater  severity  in  Ireland.  In  1652, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  exterminate  the  entire  Irish  Catholic 
priesthood.  An  Act  signed  by  the  Commissioners  for  the  Parliament 
of  England  decreed  that  every  Romish  priest  should  be  deemed 
guilty  of  rebellion,  should  be  sentenced  to  be  hanged  until  he  was 
half  dead,  and  then  should  be  beheaded  and  his  body  quartered, 
his  bowels  drawn  out  and  burned,  and  his  head  fixed  on  a  pole  in 
some  public  place.  The  punishment  of  those  who  entertained  a  priest 
was  by  the  same  Act  declared  to  be  confiscation  of  their  goods  and 
an  ignominious  death  on  the  gallows.  The  same  price  (five  pounds) 
was  set  by  these  Commissioners  on  the  head  of  a  Romish  priest  as 
on  that  of  a  wolf,  the  number  of  wolves  in  Ireland  being  then  large! 
Finally,  scarcely  a  Catholic  prelate  was  left  on  the  whole  island  to 
bless,  ordain  or  confirm.  Nevertheless  some  Catholic  Bishops  still 
remained  at  their  posts,  although  in  hiding,  meeting  their  flocks  in 


solitary  glens,  much  as  the  early  Christians  gathered  in  the  Cata- 
combs.   (See  "The  Book  of  Erin,"  by  J.  M.  Davidson,  Curry's  Re- 

view,  etc.,  etc.) 

From  1692  to  1800  not  a  single  Catholic  member  set  foot  m  the 
Parliament  of  Ireland,  because  they  were  asked,  as  a  condition  of 
entry  there,  to  affirm  that  "the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  is  damnable  and 
idolatrous";  an  easy  way  of  securing  a  Protestant  majority!  After 
1709,  a  reward  of  fifty  pounds  was  offered  for  the  discovery  of  an 
Archbishop  or  Bishop!  The  price  for  a  simple  priest  was  raised 
from  five  to  twenty  pounds!     Professional  "priest-catchers"  did  a 

lucrative  business. 

But  Anglican  persecution  of  Catholics  in  Ireland  was  not  confined 
to  priests.  It  was  extended  to  schoohnasters  as  well.  From  1695 
to  1782,  by  order  of  the  British  Parliament,  every  Catholic  school- 
master, discovered  instructing  the  Irish  people  in  religion,  or  even 
in  the  simple  elements  of  education,  was  transported.  Large  rewards 
were  offered  for  their  apprehension,  and  hundreds  of  Catholics  were 
banished  from  Ireland  for  teaching  Irish  boys  in  remote  valleys  or 
behind  hedges,  while  others  stood  on  watch  to  give  the  alarm.  It 
comes,  therefore,  with  a  poor  grace  from  anyone  to  sneer  at  the 
ignorance  of  the  Irish  people. 

Dissenters  in  Ireland,  though  better  treated  than  Catholics,  also 
endured  appalling  miseries  at  the  hands  of  the  Anglicans.  The  sect 
of  Presbyterians  seems  to  have  been  particularly  obnoxious  to  the 
leaders  of  the  National  Church,  and  when  the  fire  of  persecution 
burned  with  special  violence  they  were  hunted  over  the  mountains 
of  Ireland  like  wild  beasts.  Instances  are  recorded  of  Dissenters 
whose  fingers  were  wrenched  asunder,  whose  bodies  were  seared  witJi 
red-hot  irons,  and  whose  legs  were  broken  in  their  boots!  Their 
wives  were  also  whipped  in  public  and  driven  through  the  streets 
before  a  hooting  mob.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  multitudes 
of  Non-Conformists  fled  from  Ireland  and  England  to  America;  but 
what  is  amazing,  is  the  fact  that,  after  such  experiences,  those  fugi- 
tives did  not  learn  the  lesson  of  toleration,  and  did  not  grant  to 
those  who  differed  from  them  in  religious  views,  a  freedom  similar 
to  that  which  they  themselves  had  always  claimed. 

So  long  as  they  had  suffered  persecution,  they  had  appealed  to^  the 
principle  of  religious  liberty;  but  when  they  found  themselves  in  a 
position  to  persecute,  they  tried  to  outdo  what  they  had  endured! 
They  had  crossed  the  sea  to  seek  in  the  New  World  "freedom  to 
worship  God,"  but  they  themselves  wished  a  monopoly  of  that  lib- 
erty. Among  those  whom  they  thus  attacked  was  that  mildest  of 
all  Christian  sects,  the  Society  of  Friends,— otherwise  known  as 
Quakers.  They  had  already  suffered  much  from  Protestants  in  Eng- 
land, and  during  many  years  there  were  seldom  less  than  a  thousand 


20S 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITS 


PERSECUTIONS  FOR  HERESY 


209 


of  them  always  in  English  prisons.  On  the  accession  of  James  II. 
this  number  reached  1,460.  Some  also  were  transported,  and  many 
died  in  captivity.  George  Fox,  the  founder  of  the  sect,  endured 
everything  short  of  martyrdom.  In  America  he  was  beaten  by  a 
mob,  and  left  for  dead,  and  was  repeatedly  incarcerated.  How  he 
escaped  mutilation  is  remarkable,  for  according  to  the  laws  of  Massa- 
chusetts the  punishment  for  a  Quaker's  first  conviction  was  the  loss 
of  an  ear;  a  second  conviction  deprived  him  of  the  other  ear;  and 
the  third  was  punished  by  the  boring  of  his  tongue  with  a  hot  iron. 
For  the  hopelessly  obstinate  death  was  reserved. 

In  Boston  three  Quaker  men  and  one  woman  were  hanged;  and 
one  woman,  stripped  to  the  waist,  was  scourged  through  three  towns 
of  Massachusetts.  But  Quakers  were  not  the  only  Non-Conformists 
whom  the  "defenders  of  the  right  of  private  judgment"  persecuted 
in  America.  The  eminent  Baptist  clergyman  Roger  Williams, 
founder  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  was  banished  from  Massa- 
chusetts in  mid-winter  into  the  icy  wilderness,  where  he  wandered 
for  fourteen  weeks  among  the  Indians  on  the  bleak  New  England 
coast,  until  he  secured  a  place  of  refuge  in  the  region,  where  he  sub- 
sequently founded  the  city  of  Providence,  associated  with  his  name. 
As  late  as  1750,  an  old  man  is  said  to  have  been  publicly  scourged 
in  Boston  for  non-attendance  at  the  Congregational  form  of  worship. 
(Wilberforce,  "History  of  the  American  Church,"  p.  146.) 

Of  the  persecution  of  "witches,"  which  became  an  epidemic  in 
New  England  at  one  time,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  Protestants  in 
the  town  of  Salem  hanged  numbers  of  persons  accused  of  being 
witches,  and  in  the  neighbouring  town  of  Charlestown  a  poor  old 
clergyman  was,  for  the  same  reason,  crushed  to  death  between  two 
slabs  of  stone!  This  cruel  deed  was  even  publicly  commended  by 
the  Protestant  ministers  of  Boston  and  Charlestown.  John  Wesley, 
the  founder  of  Methodism,  was  one  of  the  bitterest  persecutors  of 
**witchcraft,"  and  declared: — ^"The  giving  up  of  witchcraft  is  in 
effect  giving  up  the  Bible."  In  England,  imder  James  I.,  a  law  was 
passed  subjecting  witches  to  death  on  the  first  conviction,  even 
though  they  had  done  no  harm.  Twelve  Anglican  Bishops  voted  for 
this  law!  The  last  witch  was  hanged  in  Scotland  in  1727,  but  in 
1773  the  Associated  Presbytery  reaffirmed  its  belief  in  witchcraft, 
and  deplored  the  fact  that  many  had  begun  to  doubt  it. 

One  feature  of  these  persecutions, — ^whether  they  were  directed 
against  Catholics  or  denominational  "heresies," — is  the  fact  that 
their  instigators  were  not  fanatical  mobs,  but  Protestant  leaders, 
whom  naturally  the  people  only  too  readily  followed.  That  these 
leaders  were  often  conscientious  clergymen  and  magistrates,  does  not 
shift  from  them  the  responsibility.  The  proof  of  this  is  found  in 
every  history,  and  Longfellow  has  portrayed  the  hideous  truth  in  his 


''New  England  Tragedies."  It  is  unquestionable  also  that  the  cham- 
pions of  Protestantism,— Luther,  Calvin,  Beza,  Knox,  Cranmer  and 
Ridley,— advocated  the  right  of  the  civU  authorities  to  punish  the 

"crime"  of  heresy. 

When  Calvin  burned  Servetus  because  of  his  views  about  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  the  cruel  deed  was  applauded  by  ahnost  all 
European  Protestants,  including  Melancthon  and  BuUinger.  Hence, 
whatever  may  be  said  of  Catholic  persecution,  the  spirit  of  Protes- 
tantism in  this  respect  was  just  as  intolerant.  Rousseau  says  truly:— 
"The  Reformation  was  intolerant  from  its  cradle,  and  its  authors 
were  universal  persecutors."  The  Protestant  historian  Hallam,  in 
his  "Constitutional  History"  (vol.  i.,  chap,  ii.),  affirms:— "Perse- 
cution  is  the  deadly  original  sin  of  the  Reformed  churches,  whidi 
cools  every  honest  man's  zeal  for  their  cause,  in  proportion  as  his 
reading  becomes  more  extensive."  Auguste  Comte  also  writes:— 
"The  intolerance  of  Protestantism  was  certainly  not  less  tyrannical 
than  that  with  which  Catholicism  is  so  much  reproached"  ("Phi- 

losophie  positive,"  vol.  iv.,  p.  S^)- 

What  makes,  however,  Protestant  persecutions  specially  revoltmg 
is  the  fact  that  they  were  absolutely  inconsistent  with  the  primary 
doctrine  of  Protestantism,— the  right  of  private  judgment  in  matters 
of  religious  belief!  Nothing  can  be  more  illogical  than  at  one  mo- 
ment to  assert  that  one  may  interpret  the  Bible  to  suit  himself,  and 
at  the  next  to  torture  and  kill  him  for  having  done  so! 

Nor  should  we  ever  forget  that,  in  the  conflict  precipitated  by  the 
Reformation,  the  Protestants  w^re  the  aggressors,  the  Catholics  were 
the  defenders.  The  Protestants  were  attempting  to  destroy  the  old, 
established  Christian  Church,  which  had  existed  fifteen  hundred 
years,  and  to  replace  it  by  something  new,  untried  and  revolutionary. 
The  Catholics  were  upholding  a  Faith,  hallowed  by  centuries  of 
pious  associations  and  sublime  achievements;  the  Protestants,  on  the 
contrary,  were  fighting  for  a  creed,  which  was  not  only  an  affair  of 
yesterday,  but  which  already  was  beginning  to  disintegrate  into 
hostile  sects,  each  of  which,  if  it  gained  the  upper  hand,  commenced 
to  persecute  the  rest!  The  Catholics  punished  people  for  abandonmg 
their  ancestral  Faith;  the  Protestants  punished  them  for  not  aban- 
doning  it,  or  even  for  preferring  some  more  recent  brand  of  Protes- 
tantism than  that  of  their  persecutors!  The  Catholics  contended 
for  an  old  religion,  in  which  they  fl«,— both  Protestants  and  Catho- 
lics alike,— had  been  baptised  and  reared;  the  Protestants  insisted 
on  a  creed,  which  had  as  yet  no  history  and  not  a  single  claim  upon 
men's  gratitude  for  services  rendered  to  humanity.  All  religious 
persecution  is  bad;  but,  in  this  case,  of  the  two  parties  guilty  of  it, 
the  Catholics  certainly  had  the  more  defensible  motives  for  their 
conduct 


210 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITB 


At  all  events,  the  argument  that  the  persecutions  for  heresy,  per- 
petrated  by  Catholics,  constitute  a  reason  why  one  should  not  enter 
the  Catholic  Church,  has  not  a  particle  more  force  than  a  similar 
argument  would  have  against  one's  entering  the  Protestant  Church. 
In  both  there  have  been  those  deserving  of  blame  in  this  respect, 
and  what  applies  to  one  applies  also  to  the  other.  If  it  be  urged,  how- 
ever, that  on  account  of  the  persecutions,  common  to  them  both,  one 
should  not  enter  either  of  the  great  divisions  of  Christianity,  it  may 
be  answered  that  one  ought  not  to  condemn  an  entire  Church  be- 
cause in  bygone  ages  some  of  its  members  have,  in  error,  disobeyed 
the  precepts  of  their  Master.  When  we  remember  that  in  the  hour 
of  His  betrayal  and  arrest  the  merciful  Founder  of  that  Church  bade 
His  impetuous  disciple  sheathe  his  sword,  and  that  His  last  prayer 
on  the  Cross,  in  supplication  for  His  torturers,  was:— "Father,  for- 
give them;  they  know  not  what  they  do,"  we  may  feel  sure  that  the 
excesses,  which  a  portion  of  His  professed  followers,— both  Catholics 
and  Protestants,— have  at  times  committed  through  mistaken  zeal, 
He  would  be  the  first  to  rebuke. 


Chapter  XXI 

THE  FINAL  STEP 

**There  is  by  God's  grace  an  immeasurable  distance  between  late  and 
too  late." — Madame  Swetchine. 

"Thou  hast  created  us  for  Thyself,  O  God,  and  our  heart  is  restless 
till  it  rests  in  Thee."— St.  Augustine. 

NOW  that  so  many  difficulties  had  been  overcome,  and  so 
many  reasons  found  why  I  should  not  return  to  any  of  the 
Protestant  sects,  I  had  to  face  the  solemn  question,  whether 
I  should  not  humbly  seek  at  once  admission  to  the  one  and  only 
ApostoUc  Catholic  Church,  whose  spiritual  shepherd  is  the  Pope  of 
Rome?  Yet  still  my  evil  genius  made  me  ask:— "What  is  the  need 
of  joining  any  Church?  Why  is  it  not  permissible  to  lead  an  indi- 
vidual religious  life  apart  from  any  ecclesiastical  body?"  But,  I 
reflected,  if  that  be  permissible  and  equally  good  for  the  soul,  why 
had  Christ  taken  such  pains  to  found  a  Church,  to  institute  its 
Sacraments,  and  to  promise  it  His  abiding  presence  till  the  world 
should  end?    He  certainly  would  not  have  done  this  had  it  not  been 

needful.  ,    .  . 

The  truth  is,  such  an  institution  as  the  Church  is  necessary  for 
a  true  religious  life.  Solitary  thinkers  are  sterile.  Only  a  company 
of  believers  can  survive  and  propagate  itself;  and  religion,  though 
in  one  sense  the  affair  of  the  individual  soul,  cannot  exist  as  a  com- 
plete  and  permanent  unity,  unless  it  have  some  sort  of  orgamsation, 
some  unity  of  faith,  some  common  form  of  worship,  and  some  ac- 
cepted rules  of  conduct.  'TSFeglect  not  the  assembling  of  yourselves 
together,"  is  a  precept  which  the  Church  has  always  observed. 

"But  if  I  join  a  Church,"  I  asked  myself,  "must  I  do  so  pubHcly? 
Why  may  I  not  remain  before  the  world  a  so-called  Protestant, 
though  secretly  a  Catholic?"  Such  a  procedure  seemed,  however, 
cowardly  and  insincere. 

"But,"  I  still  further  queried,  "is  not  salvation  possible  outside 
of  the  Catholic  Church?  Why  not  take  the  chances,  and  avoid 
disagreeable  experiences?"  It  is  true,  the  Catholic  Church  believes 
that  many  souls  outside  her  fold  may  certainly  be  saved,  although 
she  does  not  recommend  them  to  remain  there.  She  holds  that  there 
are  many  non-Catholics,  who  believe  the  fundamentals  of  Chns- 
tianity,  yet  are  prevented  from  accepting  the  Divine  Commission  of 
the  Catholic  Church  itself,  not  through  selfish  interests,  fear  of 
worldly  criticism,  or  hostile  treatment,  but  through  what  is  called 
"invincible  ignorance,"  smce  they  have  never  had  an  adequate  chance 

211 


212 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


THE  FINAL  STEP 


213 


of  knowing  thoroughly  her  claims  and  truths.    Such  Christian  be- 
lievers are  not  united  to  the  visible  body  of  the  Church,  but  they 
are  united  to  her  soul  by  a  true  spiritual  communion  of  faith  and 
love  to  God.    No  Catholic  has  a  right  to  judge  of  the  eternal  des- 
tiny of  any  individual.    Pope  Pius  IX.  said: — "Far  be  it  from  us 
?  to  dare  to  set  bounds  to  the  boundless  mercy  of  God ;  ...  we  must 
',  hold,  as  of  faith,  that  out  of  the  Apostolic  Roman  Church  there  is 
j  no  salvation,  and  that  she  is  the  only  ark  of  safety.    But  we  must 
I  also  recognise  with  certainty  that  those  who  are  in  invincible  igno- 
;  ranee  of  the  true  religion,  are  not  guilty  of  this  in  the  eye  of  the 
'  Lord.    And  who  will  presume  to  mark  out  the  limits  of  this  igno- 
rance of  our  most  holy  religion,  according  to  the  character  and  diver- 
sity of  peoples,  countries  and  minds?"     Again  he  wrote: — ^*lt  is 
known  to  us  that  those  who  are  in  invincible  ignorance  of  our  most 
holy  religion,  but  who  observe  carefully  the  natural  law  and  pre- 
cepts graven  by  God  upon  the  hearts  of  all  men,  and  who,  being 
disposed  to  obey  God,  lead  an  honest  and  upright  life,  may  by  the 
light  of  Divine  grace  attain  to  eternal  life;  for  God,  who  sees  clearly, 
and  searches  and  knows  the  heart,  the  disposition,  thoughts,  and 
intention  of  each,  in  His  supreme  mercy  and  goodness  by  no  means 
permits  that  anyone  suffer  eternal  punishment,  who  has  not  of  his 
own  free  will  fallen  into  sin." 

But  when  a  man  is  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  Catholic  Church 
IS  the  true  church  of  God,  established  here  on  earth  for  the  salva- 
tion of  men,  yet  still  refuses  to  belong  to  her  communion  through  a 
fear  of  social  ostracism,  business  injury  or  political  detriment,  then 
the  situation  is  entirely  different.  Such  a  man  sins  undoubtedly 
against  his  conscience,  insults  his  Saviour,  and  imperils  his  soul. 

"There  is  probably  no  point,"  says  the  Protestant  writer  Mallock, 
"about  which  the  general  world  is  so  misinformed  and  ignorant,  as 
the  sober  but  boundless  charity  of  what  is  called  the  'anathematising' 
Church.  So  little  indeed  is  this  charity  understood  generally,  that 
to  assert  it  seems  a  startling  paradox.  .  .  .  Yet  it  is  the  simple 
I  statement  of  a  fact.  Never  was  there  a  religious  body,  except  the 
/  Roman,  that  laid  the  intense  stress  which  she  does  on  all  her  dog- 


f 


matic  teachings,  and  yet  had  the  justice  that  comes  of  sympathy  for 
those  who  cannot  receive  them.  The  holy  and  humble  men  who  do 
not  know  her,  or  who  in  good  faith  reject  her,  she  commits  with  con- 
fidence to  God's  uncovenanted  mercies,  and  these  she  knows  are 
infinite." 

A  Catholic  writer,  Mgr.  Baunard,  in  his  "La  Foi  et  ses  vic- 
toires,"  has  said: — "Admire  the  compassionate  breadth  of  the  heart 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  We  Catholics  believe  that  beyond  and 
outside  of  the  eternal  body  of  the  Church,  formed  by  its  pastors 
and  their  faithful  flock,  there  is,  in  addition,  its  soul;  which,  over- 


flowing these  limits,  embraces  the  universal  society  of  the  just,  the 
reunion  of  all  those,  who,  profiting  by  the  all-sufficient  grace,  which 
God  refuses  to  no  one  to  effect  his  salvation,  form  around  the  Cross 
of  Christ  at  various  distances  an  immense  family; — invisible,  it  is 
true,  to  mortal  eyes,  but  visible  to  those  of  Him,  who  is  their  Father 
in  Heaven.  To  be  a  part  of  that  soul  one  thing  alone  is  needed. 
It  is  that  every  man,  faithful  to  the  amount  of  light  which  he  has 
been  able  to  receive,  should  believe,  hope  and  love,  according  to  the 
measure  of  those  gifts;  should  conform  his  moral  life  to  what  he 
knows  of  the  Divine  law;  and  should  desire  to  approach  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  the  pure  and  entire  truth.  Such  a  one  belongs  to  the 
Church  by  his  intentions;  he  will  belong  to  it  in  Heaven  through 
blessedness;  and  to  say  what  is  the  number  of  these  invisible  citizens 
of  the  City  of  God  is  the  work  of  God  alone.  All  that  we  know  is 
that  God  has  an  infinite  love  for  souls,  that  He  possesses  a  thousand 
Divine  secrets  of  reaching  them,  and  that  His  mercy  is  a  fathomless 
sea,  whose  limit  one  must  never  think  has  been  attained." 

It  follows  logically  that  no  Pagan  is  lost  except  through  his  own 
fault.  God  gives  to  all  sufficient  grace  for  their  salvation,  and  will 
not  judge  unfairly  any  man  who  does  the  best  he  can.  This  being 
so,  I  naturally  asked  myself:— "What  is  the  use  of  joining  the 
Catholic  Church,  if  I  can  be  saved  just  as  well  without  it?"  But 
could  I  plead,  as  an  excuse,  "invincible  ignorance"?  No;  for  I  was 
no  longer  ignorant  of  the  convincing  truth  of  the  claims  of  Catho- 
licism. Moreover,  even  if  I  were  eventually  pardoned  for  neglecting 
what  I  knew  to  be  my  duty,  I  certainly  should  not  be  saved  "just  as 
well."  If  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  came  to  this  planet  to  seek  and  to 
save  those  who  were  lost;  if  for  that  purpose  He  founded  a  Church, 
against  which  He  declared  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail;  and 
if  He  promised  to  abide  with  that  Church  until  the  end  of  the  world: 
—then  it  cannot  be  a  matter  of  indifference  to  Him,  or  to  the  human 
beings  whom  he  desires  to  save  from  sin  and  its  consequences, 
whether  they  join  that  Church,  or  not.  The  awful  drama  of  the  In- 
carnation, Passion,  Death  and  Resurrection  of  the  Word  made  flesh, 
is  not  a  thing  to  treat  indifferently,  or  to  accept  in  part.  Christ's  pre- 
cepts, if  Divine,  are  meant  to  be  obeyed.  Otherwise  the  love  and 
mercy  of  the  Infinite  would  be  subject  to  the  whims  and  criticisms 
of  His  ignorant  but  arrogant  creatures!  Whatever  God's  immeas- 
urable love  may  do,  it  is  difficult  to  think  that  it  can  be  the  same  in 
point  of  pardon  and  privilege,  here  or  hereafter,  for  those  who  did  not 
join  His  Church  on  earth,  if  fully  aware  of  what  they  were  doing. 

Nor  is  it  possible  for  those  who  wish  to  lead  a  godly  life,  to  find 
elsewhere  so  many  aids  to  spirituality  as  those  which  are  included 
in  the  blessed  influences  of  that  Church's  Sacraments;  for  God 
communicates   His   grace   through   certain   sacramental   channels, 


r 

I* 


\\ 


V. 


214 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


instituted  by  Christ  Himself,  and  the  Church  to  which  He  gave  thos$\ 
Sacraments  is  the  Catholic  Church,  which  alone  dates  from  the  6«- 
ginning.  Wise  with  two  thousand  years  of  spiritual  experience,  she 
guides  and  teaches,  disciplines  and  comforts  us,  points  out  the  way; 
to  Heaven,  and  gives  us  strength  to  walk  in  it.  She  is  the  helpful^ 
shepherd  of  our  souls,  and  she  still  retains  the  keys  of  Heaven,  as  heri 
Founder  gave  them  to  her.  To  this  Church  Jesus  stated  that  He; 
stood  in  the  relation  of  the  Vine  to  the  branches,  and  those  who  know'^ 
this,  and  yet  still  remain  outside  of  that  blest  union,  do  so  at  theirj 
peril. 

I  found,  therefore,  no  reason  which  could  justify  me  either  in] 
becoming  a  Protestant,  or  in  concealing  my  entry  into  the  Chui 
of  Rome.  Yet  intellectually  to  perceive  this,  or  emotionally  to  feel] 
it,  was  not  enough.  Reason  could  lead  me  to  the  limit  of  decision?^ 
but  reason  alone  could  not  compel  me  to  step  over  it.  A  merely] 
mental  change  of  view  is  not  a  real  conversion.  In  addition  to  anj 
intellectual  conviction  and  an  emotional  desire,  a  definite  act  of  the 
will  is  needful.  That  act  can  be,  however,  instantaneous,  and  hence 
the  final  step  in  the  journey  from  Agnosticism  to  Faith  is  frequently! 
the  shortest  of  all.  It  consists  merely  in  the  free  determinatiom 
to  do  what  the  prodigal  son  did,  when,  "having  come  to  himself,*<( 
he  resolved  to  leave  his  empty  and  unsatisfying  life,  and  to  arise  andj 
go  to  his  father,  saying  to  him: — ^'Tather,  I  have  sinned  againstj 
heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thyj 
son."  Through  God's  grace  I  was  enabled  to  take  that  final  stq),' 
and  to  arise  and  go  to  the  Father  of  my  soul. 

Then,  on  the  28th  of  September,— the  eve  of  the  Feast  olj 
St.  Michael, — ^my  wife  and  I,  as  quietly  and  unobtrusively  as 
sible,  made  our  submission,  and  were  received  into  the  Church  ol 
Rome.    Perhaps  I  cannot  express  my  feelings,  when  long  suspense! 
had  given  place  to  certainty,  and  when  the  arduous  struggle  had  been] 
followed  by  a  sense  of  perfect  peace,  better  than  in  the  foUoi 
lines,  which  were  written  shortly  after  our  first  Communion. 

AVE  ECCLESIA ! 

Time-hallowed  Church,  whose  truth  divine 
Endures  unchanged  from  age  to  age, 
What  joy  to  feel  that  we  are  thine, 
Nor  lost  our  priceless  heritage  I 

Blest  hour,  when  altercation  ends. 
When  rival  sects  their  efforts  cease, 
And  Christ  His  welcoming  arms  extends 
And  breathes  His  benison  of  peace  I 


u- 


TEE  PINAL  STEP 

Peace,— for  the  Church  on  Peter's  Rock 
Speaks  with  a  sanction,  hers  alone, 
Protecting  from  Time's  rudest  shock 
The  Faith  the  Saviour  made  her  own. 

How  sweet  now  to  devoutly  kneel 
Where  oft  our  feet  so  lightly  trod, 
And  in  her  lamp-lit  shrines  to  feel 
The  presence  of  the  Son  of  God  I 

To  hear  her  immemorial  prayers. 
Unaltered,  in  that  ancient  tongue. 
Whose  sense  each  kneeling  suppliant  shares. 
Though  softly  read,  or  grandly  sung! 

To  find  in  Christian  Art  a  spell 
That  only  those  who  love  her  know,— 
New  tenderness  in  Raphael, 
New  strength  in  Michelangelo; 

New  splendour  in  those  works  sublime 
Which  bear  Christ's  emblem  towards  the  sky. 
And  lift  the  soul  from  things  of  time 
To  visions  of  eternity  I 

What  joy,  amid  the  irised  light 
That  floods  those  miracles  in  stone, 
To  walk  by  faith  as  well  as  sight,— 
The  faith  those  builders  made  their  own  I 

As  ships  which  angry  billows  toss 
Seek  shelter  from  the  stormy  blast. 
So  'neath  the  standard  of  the  Cross 
We,  too,  have  reached  the  port  at  last. 

Dear  Mother  Church,  with  grateful  tears 
We  find  the  blessed  fold  of  Rome, 
Sad  from  the  long  past's  wasted  years. 
But  thankful  to  have  reached  our  home. 


31$ 


•  !   I 

Jil! 

ill. 


'i   ^ 


I  ' 


i 

;    I 


'  1: 


;'   A 


II 


i  i 


,i: 


I 


M 


I  I 


I. 


Chapter  XXII 


SOME  CATHOLIC  PRIVILEGES  AND  COMPENSATIONS 


"Too  late  have  I  sought  Thee,  O  Ancient  Truth;  too  late  have  I 
found  Thee,  O  Ancient  Beauty ;  for  Thyself  Thou  hast  created  us,  0 
God,  and  our  hearts  are  restless  till  they  rest  in  Thee." 

— St.  Augustine. 

"The  convert  Carl  Ernst  Jarcke,  formerly  Professor  of  Jurispru- 
dence in  Berlin  and  Bonn,  stated  to  Pater  Stern  on  his  death-bed:—' 
'When  I  am  dead,  say  to  all  who  will  hear,  that  I  found  my  supreme' 
happiness  in  the  infallible  Roman  Catholic  Church.' "^Scherer:; 
Warutn  Hebe  ich  meine  Kir  chef  p.  150. 

"Quam  pius  es  petentihusf 
Quam  bonus  te  qucereniibus  t 
Sed  quid  invenientibus  I" 

THE  sources  of  happiness  open  to  the  Catholic  convert  arei 
numerous,  but  all  of  them  are  not  to  be  described.    I  am' 
no  friend  of  intimate  spiritual  disclosures.    "The  gods  ap*^ij 
prove  the  depth,  but  not  the  tumult  of  the  soul,"  and  the  soul's  depths  ■! 
should  rarely  be  exposed  to  human  gaze.    In  general,  the  convert's | 
life  is  changed  from  tumult  to  tranquillity,  but  sentiment  is  un- 
reliable.    Both  exaltation  and  depression  often  depend  on  purely' 
physical  causes.    It  is  unwise  to  lead  a  neophyte  to  expect  some 
strange  and  rapturous  ecstasy.    Joy,  peace,  relief  and  gratitudc,| 
together  with  a  sense  of  duty  done, — these  he  will  certainly  ex-; 
perience;  but  no  one  should  forget  that,  just  as  long  as  we  are  in  this^ 
world,  the  struggle  against  sin  and  doubts  will  not  be  ended.    The] 
Cross  will  still  remain  the  Cross;  and  earth  is  not,  and  never  will  be,] 
Heaven. 

Still,  in  addition  to  the  pure  subjective  happiness,  which  God*i] 
grace  gives  in  never-to-be-forgotten  moments,  there  are  some  special 
sources  of  delight  and  quite  exceptional  privileges  peculiar  to  the; 
Catholic  Church,  which  may  be  mentioned  without  indiscretioB.| 
These  are  not  all  perceived  at  first.  It  takes  some  time  to  growl 
accustomed  to  this  wonderful  inheritance.  Sometimes  we  are  im^ 
pressed  with  one  feature  of  it,  sometimes  with  another. 

One  of  these  is  the  realisation  that  wheresoever  in  the  whole  worlai 
we  may  find  ourselves,  wjs  have  in  every  Catholic  Church  a  spiritual t 
home.  Wherever  the  Catholic  goes,  in  any  land,  in  any  city,  he] 
finds  awaiting  him  the  well-known  altar,  before  which  he  can  worship] 
with  an  unchanged  ritual  in  a  changeless  faith.  Moreover,  at  any^ 
hour  of  the  day,  on  entering  a  Catholic  sanctuary,  he  finds  thereinl 
the  Blessed  Sacrament  perpetually  present,  and,  as  a  witness  to  the] 

216 


CAJMOUC  PBiyiLEJGES  AND  COMPENSATIONS    217 

fact  the  ever-burning  lamp.    There,  too,  he  kneels  before  familiar 
shrilies,  and  greets  with  love  and  reverence  the  customary  repre- 
sentations  of  the  Saviour,  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Samts.    If 
Mass  is  being  said,  or  Vespers  sung,  or  the  Benediction  given   the 
ceremony  is  the  same,  the  Latin  words  identical.    Truly,  if  the 
Church  can  say  with  her  Founder,-"My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world  "  she  can  also  say  in  reference  to  her  umversahty:—  The 
world  is  my  kingdom.''    Not  only  is  the  language  of  the  Mass  every- 
where the  same;  every  movement  of  the  celebrant,  his  vestments,  and 
his  various  positions  at  the  altar  are  so  identical  with  those  to  which 
the  visitor  is  accustomed,  that,  even  though  he  should  not  hear  a 
word   a  glance  at  the  officiating  priest  enables  him  to  understand 
just  what  part  of  the  service  has  been  reached,  and  thus  he  can 

immediately  join  in  it,  .   .t.    *    ^  *t.  ♦ 

Another  source  of  spiritual  blessing  to  the  convert  is  the  fact  that 
the  Catholic  Church  presents  more  means  of  help  to  lead  a  pwus 
life  than  any  other  body  of  Christianity.    Not  only  are  her  churches 
open  to  the  worshipper  from  dawn  to  dusk,  but  there  are  m  them 
daily  many  services.    Among  the  most  beautiful  of  these  are  the 
"May  Devotions,"-meetings  for  prayer  and  song,  heM  every  evening 
during  the  month  of  May  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgm.  ^  Similar 
ones  are  celebrated  in  honour  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  m  many 
places  daily  during  the  month  of  June;  while  special  Pjeparato^ry 
services  are  always  held  before  the  greater  festivals  of  the  Church, 
such  as  those  of  Epiphany,  Easter,  the  Imniaculate  Conception, 
Corpus  Christi,  Pentecost  and  Christmas,  /he  Saints    days  also 
are  commemorated  faithfully,  and  how  superlatively  rich  the  Church 
b  in  memorials  of  her  hallowed  dead!     Their  feasts  succeed  each 
other  through  the  year,  like  beads  upon  a  rosary.    No  day  is  whd ly 
wanting  in  such  sacred  associations,  and  many  days  are  crowded  with 
reminders  of  her  Saints  and  Martyrs.   Wisely  does  the  Church  ordam 
that  these  inspiring  festivals  shall  be  observed,  for  ^^^V /^^''^  ^^^ 
children  to  increased  devotion,  and  bid  them  bear  in  mind  that  they 
are  by  inheritance  '^Children  of  the  Saints."       ^  ^      ^         ^    ^, 

By  these  means  Catholics  are  kept  near  to  God  and  constantly 
In  touch  with  sacred  things.  In  striking  contrast  to  such  stimulating 
'  souvenirs,  Protestant  Non-Conformists,  as  a  rule,  pay  110  attention 
to  these  festivals,  not  even  to  Easter  and  Good  Friday!  Anglican 
and  Episcopalian  Churches,  it  is  true,  observe  the  religious  year  to 
some  extent,  but  far  less  thoroughly  than  the  Church  of  Rome.  How 
many  of  them  ever  think  that  aU  the  Saints,  whose  names  are  men- 
Uoned  in  their  Prayer-Book,  and  whose  prayers  are  found  "J  Anglican 
devotional  books,  were  Catholics?  Since  the  date  of  their  wih- 
drawal  from  the  Mother  Church,  the  Protestants  have  had  no  Saints, 
at  least  have  claimed  none;  but  even  in  comparatively  modem  times 


1; 


I* 

IE 


l!!^ 


!■ 


ii'ii 


1« 
111 


I 


;ii! 


1 1' 


n 


2i8  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

the  Catholic  Church  has  numbered  in  her  fold  such  holy  men  and 
women  as  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  St.  Francis  Xavier,  St.  Vincent  de 
Paul,  St.  Philip  Neri,  St.  Aloysius,  St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  St.  Francis 
of  Assisi,  St.  Theresa,  St.  Catharine  of  Siena,  and  many  more.  Yet 
all  these  Saints  would  have  heartily  repudiated  the  schismatic  Church 
of  England,  since  it  rejected  many  of  the  Sacraments  so  dear  to 
them,  and  since  it  has  actually  denounced  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass 

as  idolatrous! 

Another  advantage,  soon  appreciated  by  the  convert,  is  the  realisa- 
tion that  Christian  art  can  now  be  enjoyed  by  him,  as  never  before. 
The  noble  music  of  the  Church,  especially  that  included  in  her 
chants  and  requiems,  is  now  peculiarly  his  own,  since  his  is  now  the 
faith  which  prompted  and  inspired  it.  The  grand  cathedrals  also 
of  Christianity,— all  built  originally  for  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the 
ages  of  faith,  hope  and  love,  and  formerly  used  for  centuries  ex- 
clusively for  her  magnificent  ritual,— are  now  no  longer  to  the  convert 
merely  architectural  masterpieces.  Each  of  them  is  a  stately  portion 
of  his  Father's  house,— a  shrine,  within  which  dwells  the  Presence 
of  the  Son  of  God,  and  all  are  different  expressions  of  the  aspirations 
of  the  Catholic  Faith,  since  every  architect  and  workman  once  em- 
ployed in  their  construction  was  a  Catholic. 

So  is  it  also  in  the  spheres  of  sculpture  and  painting;  for,  from 
the  dawn  of  the  Renaissance  down  to  the  present  time,  practically 
every  work  of  art,  connected  with  the  Christian  religion,  has  been 
the  production  of  a  son  of  the  Catholic  Church.  In  fact,  the  entire 
realm  of  Christian  art  abounds  in  representations  of  saintly  persons, 
whom  Catholics  love,  revere  and  honour,  yet  many  of  whom  appeal 
as  little  to  the  average  Protestant,  as  do  the  characters  in  Greek 
mythology.    How  differently  do  we,  as  converts,  look  upon  such 

works! 

The  Sistine  Madonna,  for  example,  seems  no  more  to  us,  as 
formerly,  merely  a  wonderful  portrayal  of  majestic  motherhood. 
This  it  still  is,  but  we  discern  in  the  triumphant  Mother  also  a 
representation  of  our  Lady  of  Heaven,  honoured  above  all 
womankind  by  God's  selection  as  the  Mother  of  His  Incarnate 

Son. 

Only  a  Catholic  can  fully  enter  into  the  spirit  of  Raphaels 
pictures  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  She  has  been  truly  called  the  theme 
of  Raphael's  life,— the  golden  thread  which  is  interwoven  with  the 
whole  fabric  of  his  art.  No  less  than  fifty  of  his  paintings  were 
consecrated  to  her  portrayal.  For  centuries  also  many  other  painters 
vied  with  one  another  in  doing  homage  to  the  Mother  of  God,— a 
fact  which  brings  us  to  another  source  of  consolation,  happiness  and 
spiritual  aid,  peculiar  to  the  Catholic  Church,— //re  love  and  homage 
paid  to  the  Virgin  Mother,  as  well  as  her  responsive  love  and  care  for 


CATHOLIC  PRIVILEGES  AND  COMPENSATIONS    219 

Us.  This  seems  particularly  precious  to  the  convert,  since  he  has 
hitherto  known  nothing  of  it. 

The  feminine  element, — ^wholly  wanting  in  Protestant  worship, — 
is  in  the  Catholic  Church  one  of  its  most  beautiful  and  tender 
features.  All  hearts  are  not  alike.  Some  unimpassioned  souls  prefer 
to  pray  to  God  alone, — the  awe-inspiring,  omnipresent  and  omniscient 
Deity.  Others  are  moved  to  hold  communion  with  their  Saviour 
only,  who  in  His  earthly  life  was  subject  to  our  infirmities,  and  "was 
in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  And  there  are 
others  still, — ^lone,  orphaned  hearts,  who  crave  a  mother's  love  and 
care,  and  find  the  greatest  surcease  of  their  pain  by  coming  to  the 
Mother  of  their  crucified  Redeemer,  and  begging  her  to  comfort  and 
to  plead  for  them.  There  are  in  every  life  some  moments  when  a 
mother's  tenderness  outweighs  the  world,  and  prayer  to  Mary  often 
meets  this  want,  especially  when  one's  earthly  mother  is  for  ever  gone. 
The  Blessed  Virgin's  sympathy  answers  a  definite  craving  of  the 
human  heart.  Let  us  rejoice  that  in  the  Catholic  Church  this  craving 
is  appeased,  and  that  unnumbered  millions  have  obtained  through 
Mary's  heavenly  compassion  a  consolation  nothing  else  could  give. 

But  of  the  many  compensations  which  await  the  convert,  in  return 
for  any  loss  and  persecution  he  may  have  experienced,  the  greatest 
surely  is  the  precious  privilege  of  the  Holy  Mass.  To  those  who  do 
not  understand  the  Mass,  it  is  an  empty  spectacle. 

To  those  who  comprehend  it,  it  is  the  very  soul  of  Catholicism, 
and  the  essence  of  Christianity.  Slowly  but  irresistibly  its  beauty, 
mysticism  and  solemnity  drew  me  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and  to 
the  Church  that  shelters  it.  The  steps  by  which  my  faltering  feet 
ascended  to  its  altar  were  its  ancient  prayers.  These,  as  I  read 
them  and  appreciated  their  significance,  in  connection  with  the 
ceremony  itself,  filled  me  with  awe  and  admiration. 

Deny  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God,  sent  to  redeem  mankind 
from  sin  and  punishment  by  His  atoning  sacrifice,  and  there  can  be 
no  meaning  in  the  Mass.  Believe  it,  and  the  rite  becomes  at  once 
the  greatest  spiritual  privilege,  and  the  highest  act  of  human  adora- 
tion. It  is  the  re-enactment  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  the  celebration 
of  His  death  upon  an  altar,  typifying  Calvary;  and  these  to  the 
repentant  worshipper  bring  sanctifying  grace.  What  first  impressed 
me,  as  a  non-Catholic,  in  the  Mass  was  not  its  lighted  altar,  incense, 
music,  priests  and  acolytes;  these  are  indeed  impressive,  beautiful, 
frequently  sublime.  But  that  which  often  overpowered  me  was  the 
thought  of  its  universality.  It  thrills  one,  as  he  kneels  before  the 
elevated  Host,  to  recollect  that  there  is  not  a  country,— scarcely 
a  city  or  hamlet, — ^in  the  civilised  world,  where  this  same  ritual  0}  the 
Mass  is  not  said  daily,  often  many  times  a  day;  and  not  an  island 
rises  from  the  sea,  if  it  be  tenanted  by  man,  from  which  the  suppli- 


220  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITB 

cation  of  the  Mass  does  not  ascend  to  God  each  day,  like  incense 
from  an  altar.  Other  religious  rites  are  local ;  this  is  universal.  Like 
an  unbroken  chain,  it  clasps  the  rounded  globe,  and  holds  it  fast  to 
God.  Its  service  never  ends.  Its  continuity  sweeps  round  our 
planet,  like  the  moving  tides.  At  every  moment,  somewhere,  as  the 
earth  revolves,  the  rising  sun  is  shining  on  the  emblem  of  Christ's 
sacrifice,  upheld  by  the  adoring  celebrant,  and  on  this  Holy  Eucharist 
that  sun  can  never  set.  Somewhere  before  a  Catholic  altar  the  words 
are  always  being  uttered:— ".4 ^«m5  Dei,  qui  tollis  peccata  mundi, 
miserere  nobis''/  Yes,  these  identical  words  are  used  in  every  land, 
dear  to  the  Saints  and  Martyrs  of  remote  antiquity,  and  hallowed 
since  by  generations  of  faithful  usage,— a  type  of  the  Church's 
universality  and  unity. 

Nevertheless,  to  every  worshipper  is  given  perfect  liberty  to 
participate  in  the  Mass,  as  he  prefers.  Thus,  one  may  follow  the 
service,  step  by  step,  in  Latin,  or  in  the  vernacular  translation; 
another  may  use  some  prayers,  submitted  as  appropriate  substitutes; 
a  third  may  whisper  his  own  private  supplications,  inspired  by  his 
individual  needs.  In  any  case,  however,  the  spirit  of  the  Mass 
presents  unqualified  unity,  for  the  prayers  suggested  are  based  upon 
the  canon  of  the  Mass,  which  has  remained  essentially  unaltered 
since  the  death  of  Pope  Gregory  the  Great,  in  604.  What  an  im- 
pressive  history  stands  behind  those  words  repeated  daily  in  the 
Mass!  In  their  essential  features  all  have  been  guarded  jealously 
by  Mother  Church  for  centuries,  and  are  now  set  imperishably  in 
her  Missal,  like  jewels  in  a  crown.  How  sweet  for  the  communicant, 
as  he  receives  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  to  hear  from  the  lips  of  the 
servant  of  God  the  immemorial  prayer,  which  has  for  ages  soothed 
the  hearts  of  miWions:— Corpus  Domini  nostri  Jesu  Christi  custodial 
animam  tuam  in  vitam  mternam!  Up  through  that  stately  ritual, 
by  its  successive  stages  of  the  Confession,  the  Gloria  in  excelsis,  the 
Epistle,  the  Gospel  and  the  Creed,— all  linked  into  a  golden  rosary 
of  prayers,— one  reaches  finally  a  moment,  which  to  the  soul  that 
understands,  believes  and  worships,  is  almost  overwhelming. 

The  bell  rings  thrice,  and  an  impressive  silence  fills  the  church, 
as  the  officiating  priest  utters  the  awe-inspiring  words:— "This  is 
My  Body."  For,  as  this  solemn  sentence  is  pronounced,  the  mystery 
of  transubstantiation  is  effected.  Divinity  is  there  I  Kneeling,  the 
priest  adores  the  Sacred  Host;  then,  rising,  while  the  thrice-rung 
bell  again  commands  attenUon,  he  elevates  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
before  the  kneeling  congregation,  which  adores  therein  the  Presence 
of  the  Son  of  God!  If  its  significance  is  rightly  understood  and 
thoroughly  believed  in,  there  is  no  moment  in  a  human  life  so 
wonderful  as  this;  unless  it  be  when  the  celebrant  brings  the  Holy 
Eucharist  to  the  kneeling  supplicant,  with  the  words:— "Behold  the 


CATHOLIC  PRIVILEGES  AND  COMPENSATIONS    221 

Lamb  of  God;  behold  Him  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world"! 
Beside  this  solemn  celebration  of  the  sacrifice  of  Calvary,  all  other 
Christian  services  fade  into  unrealities.  The  Mass  alone  seems  real. 
Which  is  of  greater  benefit  to  the  soul,— the  stately  High  Mass, 
with  its  noble  music,  clouds  of  incense,  and  additional  clergy,  or  the 
still,  imobtrusive  Low  Mass,  where  few  words  are  audible?  That 
depends  largely  on  the  mental  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  in- 
dividual. Many  prefer  the  quiet  Mass  to  the  more  imposing 
ceremony  save  as  a  rare  indulgence.  Certainly  it  is  delightful  occa- 
sionally to  assist  at  a  High  Mass,  for  it  uplifts  one,  as  if  carried 
heavenward  on  powerful  wings;  but  the  tender,  simple.  Low  Mass, 
with  its  concluding  Benediction,  is  like  the  shady  grove,  the  clear, 
cool  streamlet,  and  the  wayside  halt,  which  make  life's  dusty  highway 
sweet  and  bearable.    Of  either  ceremony  the  following  lines  are  true: 

"There's  the  sight  of  a  Host  uplifted. 
There's  the  silver  sound  of  a  bell, 
There's  the  gleam  of  a  golden  chalice, — 
Be  glad,  sad  hearts,  'tis  well; 
He  made,  and  He  keeps  love's  promise 
With  His  own  all  days  to  dwell. 

"The  priest  comes  down  to  the  railing, 
Where  heads  are  bowed  in  prayer; 
In  the  tender  clasp  of  his  fingers 
The  Host  lies  pure  and  fair ; 
And  the  hearts  of  Christ  and  the  Christian 
Meet  there, — and  only  there. 

"O  Love  that  is  deep  and  deathless ! 
O  Faith  that  is  strong  and  grand! 
O  Hope  that  will  shine  for  ever 
O'er  the  wastes  of  a  weary  land ! 
Christ's  Heart  finds  an  earthly  heaven 
In  the  palm  of  the  priest's  pure  hand." 

Father  Ryan. 

When  I  am  asked  what  I  have  found  within  the  Catholic  Church 
superior  to  all  that  Protestantism  gave  me,  I  find  that  language  is 
inadequate  to  express  it.  One  thinks  of  the  familiar  metaphor  of  a 
stained-glass  window  in  a  vast  cathedral.  Seen  from  without  by 
day,  this  seems  to  be  an  unintelligible  mass  of  dusky  glass.  Viewed 
from  within,  however,  it  reveals  a  beautiful  design,  where  sacred 
story  glows  resplendently  in  form  and  colour.  So  is  it  with  the 
Church  of  Rome.  One  must  enter  it  to  understand  its  sanctity  and 
charm.  When  I  reflect  upon  that  Church's  long,  unbroken  con- 
tinuity extending  back  to  the  very  days  of  the  Apostles;  when  I 
recall  her  grand,  inspiring  traditions,  her  blessed  Sacraments,  her 
immemorial  language,  her  changeless  creed,  her  noble  ritual,  her 


222  REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 

stately  ceremonies,  her  priceless  works  of  art,  her  wondrous  unity  of 
doctrine,  her  ancient  prayers,  her  matchless  organisation,  her 
Apostolic  authority,  her  splendid  roll  of  Saints  and  Martyrs  reaching 
up  like  Jacob's  ladder,  and  uniting  earth  and  Heaven;  when  I  reflect 
upon  the  intercession  for  us  of  those  Saints  and  Martyrs,  enhanced 
by  the  petitions  of  the  Blessed  Mother  of  our  Lord;  and,  last,  not 
least  when  I  consider  the  abiding  Presence  of  the  Saviour  on  her 
altars-— I  feel  that  this  One,  Holy,  Apostolic  Church  has  given  me 
certainty  for  doubt,  order  for  confusion,  sunlight  for  darkness,  and 
substance  for  shadow.  It  is  the  Bread  of  Life  and  the  Wme  of  the 
Soul,  instead  of  the  unsatisfying  husks;  the  father's  welcome,  with 
the  ring  and  the  robe,  instead  of  the  weary  exile  in  the  wilderness 
of  doubt.  It  is  true,  the  prodigal  must  retrace  the  homeward  road, 
and  even  enter  the  doorway  of  the  mansion  on  his  knees;  but,  wtthtn, 

what  a  recompense! 

Favoured  are  those  who,  from  their  childhood  up,  are  nurtured 
in  the  Catholic  Church,  and  to  whom  all  her  comforts,  aids  and 
Sacraments  come  no  less  freely  than  the  air  and  sunshine.  Yet  I 
have  sometimes  wondered  whether  such  favoured  Catholics  ever 
know  the  rapture  of  the  homeless  waif,  to  whom  the  splendours 
of  his  Father's  house  are  suddenly  revealed;  the  consolation  of  the 
mariner,  whose  storm-tossed  vessel  finally  attains  the  sheltered  port; 
the  gratitude  of  the  lonely  wanderer,  long  lost  in  cold  and  darkness 
who  shares  at  last,  however  undeservedly,  the  warmth  and  light  of 
God's  great  spiritual  Home! 


Index 


Abbeys,   the   Bible   in   Monasteries 

and,  103. 
Abuses  of  indulgences,  163. 
Absolution,  158,  165,  169;  in  Eastern 

Orthodox  Church,  166;  words  of 

Christ  in  reference  to,  166. 
Acqua  Fredda,  monastery  of,  20. 
Acts,  201 ;  and  Epistles,  authors  of, 

79;  of  Parliament,   134.   136;  of 

the  Apostles,  79' 
Act  to   exterminate   Irish   Catholic 

priesthood,  206. 
Addison  on   friendship  of  God,  22. 
Africa,  idols  of,  67. 
Age  of  miracles,  195. 
Agnostics,  III,  138;  and  Pantheists, 

59. 
Agnosticism,  IS,  86,  105. 
Alcibiades,  Socrates  to,  63. 
Alexander,  conquests  of,  73. 
Alexander  VI.,  Pope,  174. 
Alexandria,  Church  of,  80. 
Alexandrinus  manuscripts,  the,  7. 
Alford,  Dean,  and  New  Testament,  6. 
Alzog,  Church  History  of,  93. 
America,  23 ;  atheists  in,  31 ;  list  of 

sects  in,  82,  83;  Protestantism  in, 

1x6;  Puritans  in,  24. 
American  free-thinker,  views  of  an, 

138. 

American  Protestantism  as  a  re- 
ligious system,  116. 

Ananias  and  Sapphira,  150. 

Anabaptists,  persecution  of,  205. 

Angel  of  the  Revelation,  180. 

Angels  of  God,  180. 

Anglican,  5,  86;  and  Episcopal 
churches,  166;  Bishops,  152; 
branch  theory,  140;  observance  of 
religious  year,  217;   prayer-book, 

137;  166. 
Anglican    Church,    143;    origin   of, 

131 ;  priests  of,  167. 
Anglicanism,  135;  founders  of,  137; 

divided,  145 ;  origin  of,  130. 
Anglicans,   80,    118,    128,    136;    and 

Baptism,  4;   and  dissenters,   143; 

institute  confession,   167. 
Anglo-Catholic  Congress,   142. 
Annunciation,  78,  175. 
Antichrist,  183. 
Antioch,  Church  of,  150. 
Apostles,  80,  146,  221 ;  Acts  of  the, 

79;  age  of,  144;  and  Baptism,  4; 

Churdh  of  the,  166 ;  commission  of. 


165 ;  Creed  of.  To,  106 ;  one  Church 
from  days  of,  147;  Peter  leader 
of,  149;  words  of,  6. 

Apostolic  Church,  147,  183;  Church 
of  Rome,  118;  tradition,  7. 

Archangel  Gabriel,  175. 

Arian  heresy,  179. 

Arianism,  modern,  13. 

Arians,  153. 

Aristotle,  56. 

Armenians,  166. 

Arnold,  Matthew,  65. 

Articles,  The  Thirty-nine,  136. 

Ascension,  Mary  at  the,  178. 

Asia,  idols  of,  67. 

Astronomy,  study  of,  34. 

Athanasian  Creed,  137. 

Athanasius,  178. 

Atheism,  20,  32;  Bacon  on,  38. 

Atheists,  138;  in  England  and 
America,  31. 

Athenians,  57. 

Athens,  47. 

Atonement,   doctrine  of  the,    179. 

Aurelius,  Marcus,  57. 

Authority,  144;  of  the  Church,  160; 
of  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  142 ; 
Supreme,  9,   10. 

Avebury,  Lord,  and  Church  of  Eng- 
land, 130,  136. 

Avignon,  University  of,  112. 

B 

Bacon,  Sir  Francis,  38. 

Baden-Powell,  Professor,  and  Chris- 
tian dogma,   138. 

Ballou,  Hosea,  on  oppression,  202. 

Baptist,  2,  22;  churches,   120. 

Baptism,  3,  4. 

Basle,  University  of,  112. 

Baunard,  Monsignor,  on  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  212. 

Beardsley,  Aubrey,  convert,  142. 

Beecher,  202. 

Beethoven,  53. 

Benson,  Rev.  Robert  Hugh,  16,  75, 

139. 
Benediction,  217. 
Benedict  XV.,  Pope,  153;  on  Bible, 

103. 
Berlin,  University  of,  73. 
Bert,  Paul,  French  Minister,  29. 
Bethlehem,  191 ;  Star  of,  1 1. 
Beza,    champion   of    Protestantism, 

209. 


223 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


224 

Bible,  the,  IS,  49,  6S,  81 ;  a  Revela- 
tion, 8;  attacks  on,  by  Protes- 
tantism, 103;  Baptism  in  the,  3; 
Church  Fathers  interpret  the,  102; 
Church's  veneration  of  the,  103; 
editions  of  the,  loi ;  English  ver- 
sion of  the,  6;  ignorance  of  the, 
17;  in  monasteries  and  abbeys, 
103;  in  public  library  of  Num- 
berg,  loi ;  inspiration  of  the,  109 ; 
Luther  and  the,  id ;  Pope  Bene- 
dict XV.  on,  103;  Protestants  and 
the,  80;  sceptics,  191;  Society,  68. 

Biblical  manuscripts,  81. 

Billy  Sunday,  118.  ^       . 

Bishops,  Anglican,  152;  of  Church 
of  England,  204;  divided,  137;  of 
Rome,  Church  Fathers  and,  151. 

Blessed  Virgin,  Catholic  doctrme 
and,  176;  influence  of,  182;  rev- 
erence paid  to,  175;  William  H. 
Lecky  on,  182. 

Blessed   Sacrament,   The,   216,  219. 

Boleyn,  Anne,  and  Henry  VIII.,  130; 
Elizabeth,  Daughter  of,  134. 

Bologna,  University  of,  122. 

Bolshevism,  32. 

Book  of  Common  Prayer,  135;  01 
Revelation,  180. 

Books  of   New  Testament,  79. 

Bora,  Katharine,  91. 

Borromeo,  Carlo,  I04»  218. 

Bougaud,  Abbe,  30. 

Bourget,  Paul,  75-  , 

Brampton,  Lord,  convert  to  the 
Church,  142. 

British  Isles,  conversion  of,  133- 

Brompton  Oratory  in  London,  204. 

Brunetiere,  French  litterateur,  75. 

Buchsel,  Dr.  C,  memoirs  of,  no. 

Buckle's  "History  of   Civilization, 
203,  205. 

Buddha,  65,  71. 

Buddhists,  71. 

Bullinger,  Swiss  reformer,  100,  207. 

Burke,    Father,    on    Sacrament    of 

Penance,  169. 
Bushnell,  on  nature  and  the  super- 
natural, 77, 


Cadman,  Dr.  S.  Parkes,  on  churcH- 

going,  129. 
Caesar,  73. 
Calvary,  154. 
Calvin,  98,  104,  209. 
Calvinism,  a  state  religion,  98. 
Calvinistic,  I. 

Cambridge,  University  of,  112. 
Camerarius,  Melancthon  to,  92. 


Canon,  the,  10;  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, 80;  of  Scripture,  80;  of  the 
Mass,  220. 

Canterbury,  Archbishop  of,  7S 

Carlyle,  27,  84. 

Carthage,  Council  of,  10. 

Catacombs,  81,  181. 

Cathedrals  of  Christianity,  218. 

Catholic  Church,  and  Catholic 
countries,  114;  Christianity  the 
teaching  of  the,  81;  dates  from 
the  beginning,  214*,  faith  and  dis- 
cipline of,  125;  only  true  Church, 
166;  unreasonable  hatred  of,  199- 

Catholic  Doctrine,  156;  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  176;  of  Baptism, 
4;  of  Penance,  154;  oi  Purgatory, 

154. 

Catholic  dogmas,  145;  Florence, 
under  the  Medici,  113;  France 
under  Louis  XIV.,  113;  Missal, 
128;  Popes,  153;  privileges,  216; 
Reformation,  96;  Republic  of 
Venice,  113;  South  Germany,  108; 
Spain,  113;  Truth  Society  in  Eng- 
land, 103. 

Catholicism  and  celibate  clergy,  127; 
democratic,  200 ;  the  Mass  the  soul 
of,  219;  united,  87;  victorious, 
107;  without  Christianity,  19. 

Catholics  and  Protestants,  209;  and 
State  Church  of  England,  136 ;  and 
the  liturgy,  199;  persecution  of, 
202;  in  Ireland,  207;  self-denial 
demanded  of,  125;  use  of  relics 
among,  200.  . 

Celsus  and  the  miracles  of  Christ, 

194. 
Chaldean  astronomers,  II. 

Channing,  on  Our  Lord,  78. 

Character,  development  of,  471 
moral,  26;  the  only  real  criterion, 
24. 

Christ,  5,  6.  7,  46,  65 ;  and  Baptism, 
4;  and  disciples,  173;  and  Apos- 
tles, 10;  Church  of,  9,  75,  79,  85, 
213;  Divinity  of,  10,  106;  faith  in 
Church  of,  172;  Gospel  of,  46; 
law  of,  161;  life  of,  70;  miracles 
of,  193;  mission  of,  72;  Mother 
of,  181 ;  Revelation  of,  67 ;  Resur- 
rection of,  195;  Sacraments  de- 
rive their  efficacy  from,  172; 
Sacrifice  of,  3;  Confession 
founded  on  teaching  of,  165; 
words  of,  in  reference  to  absolu- 
tion, 166. 

Christian  Art,  218;  century,  129; 
Doctrine,  cornerstone  of,  72; 
dogma,  9;  history,  192;  Liberty, 
Communism  and,  95;  life,  3;  mis- 


INDEX 


225 


sionaries,  68;  religion,  64;  revela- 
tion, 75;  Rome,  pagan  and,  151; 
sect,  81 ;  Theology,  Church  of 
England  discards,  137 ;  Unity,  Rev. 
M.  M.  Sheedy  on,  117. 

Christendom,  breakdown  of,  67. 

Christianity,  68;  and  miracles,  192; 
a  spiritual  appellation,  67;  and 
pagan  philosophy,  47;  believers  in 
denounced,  190;  cathedrals  of, 
218 ;  early  opponents  of,  193 ;  fun- 
damentals of,  109;  ignorance  of 
dogma  of,  4;  Founder  of,  67;  in- 
fluence of  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  in 
history  of,  182;  medieval,  133; 
preceded  the  New  Testament,  10; 
progress  of,  67;  rationalistic,  68; 
test  of,  72;  the  teaching  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  81. 

Church,  5,  46,  80,  81,  87,  88 ;  a  divine 
legacy,  and  miracles,  195;  Apos- 
tolic, 147,  153;  assault  on  Faith  of, 
89;  attitude  of,  towards  modern 
miracles,  185;  authority  of  the, 
160;  Catholic,  only  true,  166; 
Christ  in  the,  75 ;  Christ's  promise 
to  the,  89 ;  condemns  idolatry,  197 ; 
confession  and  absolution  in  East- 
ern Orthodox,  166 ;  corruptions  in, 
89;  dates  from  the  beginning,  214; 
Established,  136,  139;  Elizabeth, 
head  of,  in  England,  134;  Faith 
and  discipline  of  Catholic,  125; 
Fathers,  7,  102,  151,  178,  180; 
founded  by  Christ,  3,  9,  67,  79,  88, 
213;  from  days  of  the  Apostles, 
147,  166;  government,  146;  guided 
by  Holy  Spirit,  148;  history,  14, 
109;  indulgences  of  the,  158;  in- 
fallible, 147;  in  Germany,  Protes- 
tant, 109 ;  in  sixteenth  century,  89 ; 
and  the  Bible,  103;  Luther  and, 
90;  Lutheran,  108;  miracles  re- 
corded by,  189;  necessary,  211 ;  of 
Alexandria,  80;  of  Anglican  Ref- 
ormation, 86;  of  Antioch,  150;  of 
Corinth,  160;  of  Luther  and  Mel- 
ancthon, 109;  of  Peter,  144;  of 
Rome,  68,  76,  87,  114,  "8,  130, 
137,  143;  of  St.  Peter  at  Rome, 
163 ;  of  the  Middle  Ages,  133 ;  of 
the  poor,  121;  One,  22,  85,  144; 
origin  of  Anglican,  131 ;  power 
of,  168;  precedes  Scriptures,  80; 
priests  of  Anglican,  167;  Protes- 
tant, in  Continental  Europe,  iii; 
rationalistic,  137 ;  Sacraments,  213 ; 
tradition  of,  150;  veneration  of 
the  Bible,  103;  vitality  of,  173; 
voice  of  the  living,  81 ;  Times,  138. 


Churches,  Report  of  Federation  of, 
129 ;  spoliation  of,  by  Henry  VIII., 
132;  superfluous  Protestant,  117. 

Church  of  England,  130,  143,  144; 
actual  head  of  the,  128;  a  human 
institution,  136;  Bishops  of,  137, 
204 ;  Catholics  and  State,  136 ;  dif- 
ferences in,  141 ;  discards  Chris- 
tian theology,  137 ;  Keable  on  fail- 
ure of,  144;  Prayer-book  of  the, 
167;  Reformation  of  the,  133; 
rites  of,  135. 

Cicero,  6;  on  a  future  life,  58;  and 
moral  law,  47. 

Cistercian  cloister  of  Nimptsch,  91. 

Civilization,  breakdown  of,  25. 

Civil  Service,  Church  of  England 
section  of,  136. 

Civil  Wars  in  England,  France,  and 
Germany,  205. 

Claxton,  Dr.,  on  education,  27. 

Clement,  Pope,  151. 

Cleves,  Anne  of,  and  Henry  VIII., 

131. 
Colchester,  Abbot  of,  131. 

Colenso,  Bishop  of  South  Africa,  15. 

Coleridge,  168. 

Cologne,  University  of,  112. 

Commandment,  the  eleventh,  26. 

Commission  of  Apostles,  165.^ 

Communion  of  Saints,  doctrine  of, 
15s,  160,  162,  180;  Sacrament  of 
Holy,  137. 

Communism  and  Christian  liberty, 
95;  in  Miinster,  95. 

Communists,  44. 

Composition  of  Scriptures,  6. 

Comte,  Auguste,  philosophy  of,  19, 
209. 

Confessional,  the,  165. 

Confession,  127;  practiced  in  An- 
glican Church,  167;  in  Eastern 
Orthodox  Church,  166;  duty  of 
Pope  and  priest,  172;  founded  on 
Christ's  teaching,  165;  of  Protes- 
tants, 171 ;  method  of  Catholic, 
170;  principle  of,  169;  sacra- 
mental, 168;  system  of,  171; 
words  of  Christ  in  reference  to, 
166. 

Confessions,  127. 

Concord,  Emerson  in,  15. 

Confucius,  65. 

Congo  atrocities,  203. 

Congregational,  i,  2;  churches,  use 

of,  120. 
Congress,  Anglo- Catholic,  142. 
Conscience  and  the  moral  law,  43» 

46. 
Contrition  and  absolution,  158,  169. 


226 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


INDEX 


227 


Conversion,  3;  to  Catholicism,  141; 
a  miracle,  196. 

Conway,  Moncure  D.,  15. 

Corinth,  Church  of,  160. 

Corpus  Christi,  feast  of,  217. 

Cortez,  Donoso,  Spanish  writer,  33, 
74. 

Council  of  Carthage,  10 ;  of  Churches 
in  the  United  States,  129;  of  Con- 
stantinople, 179 ;  of  Ephesus,  178 ; 
of  Nicxa,  179;  of  Trent,  163,  198. 

Coppee,  Frangois,  75, 

Copts,  166. 

Countries,  Catholic,  114. 

Cracow,  University  of,  112. 

Cranmer,   209;    and    Henry   VIII., 

130. 
Creation  a  miracle,  186 ;  biblical  ac- 
count of  man's,  20 ;  plan  of,  37- 
Creator,  Author  of  moral  law,  49- 
Creed,   Apostles',    106;    Athanasian, 
137;    truth    of,    5;    Nicene    and 
Apostles',  80. 
Crucifix  a  symbol,  197- 
Cults,  creation  of  new,  190. 


Dante,  "Divine  Comedy"  of,  197- 

Darwin,  15,  37,  38,  186. 

David,    exploits   of    (footnote),   7; 

Nathan  and  King,  I59- 
Davidson,  J.  M.,  on  Persecution  m 

Ireland,  207. 
Deity,     existence     of,     49;     Mary, 

Mother  of  the,  I77-  ,. 

Democracy,  United  States  paradise 

of,  122. 

Democritus,  57. 
Demosthenes,  57. 
Destiny  or  Karma,  59. 
Development  of   character,  47;   of 
doctrine,  179;  of  organic  world,  4* 
Diocletian,  6. 

Disciples,  Christ  and  His,  173- 
Discipline  of  Catholic  Church,  125. 
Disraeli,  Benjamin,  42,  I39- 
Dissenters,  143;  and  Elizabeth,  205. 
Dives  and  Lazarus,  60. 
Divine  Revelation,  20,  191. 
Divinity  of  Christ,  doctrine  of,  I79 ; 

proof  of,  10. 
Doctrine,  development  of,  179;  Judg- 
ment in  matters  of  faith  and,  2; 
Luther's,  on  justification  by  Faith, 
158;  of  Baptism,  4;  of  Purgatory, 
154;   of    Sacrament   of    Penance, 

154. 
Doctrines,   Interdependent   Catholic, 

156;  of  Church  of  Rome,  114. 


Dogma  of  Catholic  Faith,  145;  ^^ 
Christianity,  4;  oi  Papal  Infalli- 
bility, 153.  - 

Dollinger,  96,  99;  on  Luther,  98. 

Dominican  monks  in  Ireland,  132. 

Dowieites,  the,  a  sect,  118. 

Draper,  on  religion,  22. 

Dunkards,  the,  a  sect,  118. 

Diirer,  Albrecht,  198. 


Easter,  feast  of,  217. 
Eastern  Orthodox   Church,  confes- 
sion and  absolution  in,  166. 
Edict  of  religious  toleration,  206. 
Edinburgh  Review,  109.  ^ 

Education,    secular,    not    sufficient, 

26. 
Edward  VI.,  134. 
Egypt,  189. 

Eisleben,  Luther  at,  91, 
Elijah,  84. 

Eliot,  George,  19,  55- 
Elizabethan  age,  57. 
Elizabeth,  Queen,  6,   132,   I34;  and 
dissenters,    205;    crimes   of,    I33; 
Jesuit  priests  in  reign  of,  135- 
Ellicott,  on  St.  Peter,  151. 
Ellinger,  on  Melancthon,  95. 
Emerson,  15,  42,  48,  57- 
England,  113;  and  America,  hst  of 
sects  in,  82,  83;   atheists  in,  31; 
and  Papal  See,  134 ;  cathedrals  of, 
141;  Catholics  and  State  Church 
of,   136;    Catholic   Truth   Society 
in,  103 ;  Constitutional  History  of, 
135;    civil   wars   in,   205;    Henry 
VIII.  of,  130;  Lingard's  History 
of,  136 ;  religious  condition  of,  86 ; 
social   condition   of,    114;   witch- 
craft in,  208. 
England,  Church  of,  130,  138,  I43, 
144;    a    human    institution,    136; 
Bishops  of,  204 ;  divided,  I37 ;  dif- 
ferences in,  141;  Henry  VHI.  as 
head  of,   131;   Keable  on   failure 
of,    144;    Prayer-book    of,    167; 
prominence  of,  I39' 
Epictetus,  47,  48,  57,  65. 
Epiphany,  feast  of,  217. 
Episcopalian,  5, 80,  85,  128;  churches, 
use  of,   120;  observance  of  reli- 
gious year,  217.  ^ 
Episcopalians,  general  convention  of, 

156. 

Epistle  of  St.  James,  Luther  dis- 
cards, 102. 

Epistles,  authors  of  Acts  and,  79? 
of  St  Paul,  9. 


Erasmus,   92,   96,    100;   to  Luther, 

Erfurt,  University  of,  112. 

Eucharist,  the  Holy,  171. 

Europe,  idols  manufactured  in,  67; 
Protestant  Church  in  Continental, 
iii;  Protestant  institutions  of 
learning  in,  112. 

Eusebius,  150,  178. 

Evangelists,  118. 

Evolution,  119;  and  protoplasm,  40. 

Exegesis,  New  Testament,  6. 

Ewald  on  St.  Peter,  151. 


Faber,  175.  204. 

Faith,  Agnosticism  to,  214 ;  and  dis- 
cipline of  Catholic  Church,  125; 
and  Doctrine,  2 ;  dogmas  of  Cath- 
olic, 145;  essential  to  Baptism,  3; 
grounds  of,  151;  in  Church  of 
Christ,  172;  Luther's  doctrine  of 
justification  by,  158;  miracles  in- 
vitations to,  194;  unity  of,  144. 

Faraday,  Michael,  38,  84. 

Farrar,  Dean,  8,  151. 

Fall  of  man,  20. 

Fathers  justify  infant  Baptism,  4; 
of  the  early  Church,  180;  tradi- 
tions of  the,  81 ;  writings  of  the,  6. 

Fasting,  Luther  on,  91. 

Federal  Council  of  Churches,  Report 
of,  129. 

Ferrara,  University  of,  112. 

Feuerbach,     Ludwig,     philosopher, 

109. 

Fisher,  Bishop  John,  martyr,  96,  131. 

Florence,  University  of,  112;  Cath- 
olic, under  the  Medici,  113. 

Foreign  Missions,  3,  116. 

Fox,  George,  founder  of  Society  of 
Friends,  208. 

France  and  Germany,  civil  war  in, 
205. 

France,  Catholic,  under  Louis  XIV., 

113- 
Frankfurt-on-the-Oder,     University 

of,  113. 
Frank,   Sebastian,  contemporary  of 

Luther,  98. 
Frederick  III.,  98. 
Free-thinkers,  108. 
Freiburg,  University  of,  112. 
French  irreligion,  29 ;  literature,  75 ; 

Revolution,  44. 
Frothingham,    Octavius,    rationalist, 

15- 
Fullerton,  Lady  Georgianna,  139. 

Fundamentals  of  Christianity,  109. 


Genesis,  5. 

Gentiles,  149. 

Germany,  90,  115;  Catholic  South, 
108;  civil  war  in,  205;  "Confes- 
sions" of,  106 ;  the  present  and  the 
past  of,  109 ;  Lutheran  Church  at- 
tendance in,  105,  106;  Protestant- 
ism in,  105,  109,  III. 

Gesenius,  Professor  of  Church  His- 
tory, 109. 

Gladstone  on  culture,  57. 

Gladden,  Rev.  Washington,  Billy 
Sunday's  criticism  of,  119. 

Glassites,  a  sect,  84, 

Glastonbury,  Abbot  of,  and  Henry 
VIIL.  131. 

Gnostics,  183;  and  agnostics,  15. 

God,  and  immortality,  23 ;  angels  of, 
180 ;  and  His  relation  to  man,  63 ; 
Baptism  instituted  by  the  Son  of, 
4 ;  Church  of,  147 ;  existence  of, 
34;  human  element  in  Son  of,  2, 
71;  justice  of,  59,  60;  man's  ac- 
countability to,  66;  Mother  of, 
178;  our  Father,  187;  reconcilia- 
tion with,  3;  Revelation  of,  66, 
75,  191 ;  science  and  the  existence 
of,  15 ;  work  of  in  man,  55. 

Goethe,  56. 
Good  Friday,  217. 

Gore  on  St.  Peter,  151. 
Gospels,  10,  68;  authors  of,  79;  a 
record  of  the  supernatural,  192; 
Harnack  on  the,  107 ;  Christ's,  46 ; 
early,  7;  preaching  of  the,  3; 
truths  of  the,  i. 
Government,  form  of  Church,  146; 

French,  Anti-Catholic,  29. 
Greek,  New  Testament  in,  6,  7. 
Greece,  27. 
Gregorovius,   Ferdinand,   tribute   of 

to  the  Papacy,  I74- 
Grenoble,  University  of,  112. 
Grisar,  91,  92,  96,  100. 
Gunzberg,   Eberlin  of,  and  Luther, 

92. 

H 

Hallam,    Protestant    historian,    135, 

209. 
Halle,  University  of,  109. 
Hamlet,  56. 
Hannibal,  73- 
Harnack,    Professor,    72,    106,    107, 

III,  151- 
Harrison,  Frederic,  and  Positivism, 

19. 


228 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Hebrew,    study    of,    5;    literature, 

65. 
Heidelberg-,  University  of,  112. 

Heinrich,  Pfalsgraf  Otto,  and  Luth- 
eran religion,  98. 

Henry  VIII.,  96,  130,  131,  132,  I33, 
134,  and  his  parliament,  136. 

Heresy,  Persecution  for,  202. 

High  Church,  118,  136;  institutes 
confession  and  absolution,  167. 

High  Mass,  221. 

Hingeley,  Dr.  J.  B.,  on  salary  of 
ministers,  116. 

Historian,  Menzl  the,  no. 

History  of  Christianity,  influence  of 
Blessed  Virgin  in,  182. 

History,  Constitutional  of  England, 
135;  Lingard's,  136;  of  European 
Morals,  by  Lecky,  183;  of  Rome 
in  Middle  Ages,  174;  of  the  world, 

133. 

Hobbes,  on  good  and  evil,  47. 

Hohoff's  ^'Revolution,"  no. 

Holy  Communion,  121,  127;  sacra- 
ment of,  137. 

Holy  Eucharist,  1 71,  220. 

Holy  Mass,  219. 

Holy  Ghost,  10;  doctrine  of  the  Di- 
vinity of,  179;  inspiration  of  the 
Bible  by  the,  109. 

Holy  Spirit,  Church  guided  by,  148; 
Christ  promised  guidance  of,  146. 

Holy  See,  113,  192. 

Holy  Trinity,  106;  doctrine  of,  179- 

Homer,  6. 

Horace,  6. 

Howard,  Henry  VIII.  and  Cath- 
arine, 131. 

Hugo,  Victor,  82. 

Hume,  41. 

Huxley,  15,  19,  4h  186. 

Huysmans,  75. 

Hyacinthe,  Fere,  114. 

Hymn  to  Blessed  Virgin,  Mrs. 
Hemans*,  182. 

"Hyperaspistes"  of  Erasmus,  96. 

Hypocrites,    words    of    Christ    to, 

"5. 


Idolatry,  Church  condemns,  197. 
Idols  manufactured  in  Europe,  67. 
Ignorance,  invincible,  211. 
Images  and  relics,  197;  Council  of 

Trent  on,  198. 
Immaculate    Conception,    178,    179; 

feast  of,  217. 
Immortality,  15,  52,  57;  ^^od  and,  23. 
Incarnation,  78,  103,  109,  177,  17ft 

195. 


Indifferentism,  15,  17,  61,  86,  lOS, 
204. 

Individualism,  Religious,  118. 

Indulgence,  157;  plenary,  159;  requi- 
sites for  obtaining  an,  160. 

Indulgences,  88,  90,  157,  158;  abuses 
of,  163;  Luther  and,  157;  never 
purchased,    162;    Purgatory   and, 

154. 
InfaUibility,  Papal,  145,  152,  153. 

Infant  Baptism,  3. 

Infidelity,  33. 

Ingersoll,  15. 

Ingolstadt,  University  of,  112. 

Inquisition,  135,  204 ;  Theological,  2. 

Inspiration  of  the  Bible,  109. 

Institution,  Church  of  England  a 
human,  136. 

Instruction,  Dr.  Vetter  on  Religious, 
108. 

Interchurch  Council,  117. 

Interpretation,  God  gives  power  of, 
148;  of  Scripture,  2. 

Intolerance,  Protestant,  205. 

Ireland,  115,  207;  clergy  of,  mur- 
dered, 206;  Dominican  monks  in, 
132;  persecution  of  Catholics  in, 
207;  Presbyterians  in,  207. 

Irenaeus,  St.,  4. 

Irrigation,  36, 

Irvingites,  a  sect,  84. 

Island  of  the  Saints,  115,  206. 

Israel,  65 ;  a  message  to  the  ten  lost 
tribes  of,  84. 

Israehtes,  138. 


Jairus,  raising  of  daughter  of,  193. 

James,  Professor,  53,  149. 

Janssen,  94. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  13. 

Jesuit  priests  in  reign  of  Elizabeth, 

135. 
Jesus,  parables  of,  60;  miracles  of, 

193 ;  sacrifice  of,  3 ;  perfect,  77. 
Jezreelites,  a  sect,  84. 
Jews,  Luther  against  the,  98. 

Job,  34« 

Johann  of  Saxony,  Luther  to  Duke, 

94. 
John  of  Leyden,  Commimist  leader, 

95. 
Jones,  Dr.  Bence,  on  Faraday,  38. 

Josue,  165. 

Jowett,  Professor,  free-thinker,  138. 

Judaism,  79. 

Judas,  77,  173. 

Judgment,    individual,   2;    right   of 

private,  86. 
Juvenal,  43. 


INDEX 


229 


Kant,  Immanuel,  34»  43. 

Karma,  destiny  or,  59. 

Keable,   Mr.   Robert,  on  failure  of 

Church  of  England,  144. 
Keble,     Rev.     J.,     on     Confession, 

168.  ^.      „ 

Keenan,  "Controversial  Catechism, 

143. 

Kelvin,  Lord,  34,  38,  51,  186. 

Kepler,  11,  38. 

Knox,  209. 

Koppe,  Leonhard,  91. 

Koran,  the,  38. 

Krummacher,  F.  W.,  on  Gesenius, 

109. 


Luther,  2,  85,  88,  89,  90,  9h  97,  99, 
104,  n8,  n9,  130,  145,  163,  169, 
209;  against  the  Papacy,  98; 
against  the  Jews,  98;  and  indul- 
gences, 157;  and  the  Bible,  loi, 
102 ;  and  Melancthon,  109 ;  and  the 
Church,  90;  DoUinger  on,  98; 
Erasmus  to,  95;  Hans  Preuss  on, 
100;  national  hero  of  German 
Protestants,  90;  on  Ten  Com- 
mandments, 93 ;  Reformation  of, 
85,  105;  translation  of  Bible  of, 
loi;  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith  of,   158. 

Lutheran  Church,  108. 

Lutheranism  in  Germany,  105,  106; 
rationalized,  145. 

Lutherans,  113,  115,  137. 


Lactantius,  202. 

Lamartine,  71. 

Lanciani,  Roman  archaeologist,  151. 

Law,  the  moral,  43 ;  of  Christ,  161. 

Lazarus,  Renan  and,  194. 

Lecky,  74,  99,  200;  on  the  Blessed 
Virgin  182. 

Leipzig,  University  of,  112. 

Leonardo,  198. 

Liddon,  lectures  of  Canon,  8. 

Life,  belief  in  a  future,  57;  family, 
i;  on  earth,  Christ's,  70;  the  fu- 
ture, 60,  66;  principal  end,  25; 
science  and  origin  of,  186;  the 
teacher,  22, 

Light  foot,  151. 

Lincoln,  the  martyred,  201. 

Lingard's  History  of  England,  136. 

Linus,  151. 

Lisbon,  University  of,  112. 
Litanies,  128. 
Litany,  ancient,  128. 
Literary  Digest,  119. 
Little's  "Reason  for  being  a  Church- 
man," 132. 
Liturgy,  Catholics  and  the,  199. 
Lloyd  George,  Mr.,  138. 
London,  135;  Brompton  Oratory  in, 

204. 

Longfellow,  208. 

Louis  XIV.,  Catholic  France  under, 
n3. 

Lourdes,  miracles  at,  i95- 

Louvain,  University  of,  112. 

Low  Church,  137. 

Lowder,  Rev.  Charles,  on  Confes- 
sion, 168. 

Low  Mass,  221. 

Loyola,  St.  Ignatius,  104. 

Lucilius  and  Seneca,  47. 


M 

Macaulay,  Lord,  79,  89. 

Maccoll,  on  evolution,  40. 

Macedonius,  heresy  of,  179. 

Magnificat,  the,  78. 

Mahatma,  Indian,  190. 

Mainz,  University  of,  112. 

Malatesta,  Enrico,  anarchist,  32. 

Mallock,  68,  147,  156,  179,  212. 

Mammonists,  modern,  49. 

Man,  God's  work  in,  55;  God  and 

His  relation  to,  63. 
Manichaeans,  153. 
Manning,  Cardinal,  63,  79,  86,  130, 

141,  145,  146,  151,  175. 
Manuscripts  of  New  Testament,  81 ; 

date  of,  6. 
Marburg,  University  of,  13. 
Maronites,   166. 

Martineau,  Dr.  James,  15,  81. 
Martyrs,    reminders   of   saints   and, 

217. 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  134. 
Masaryk,  Professor,  105,  no. 
Massachusetts,  religious  persecution 

in,  208. 
Mass,  127,  128,  155,  217,  219;  Canon 

of  the,  220;  frequency  of,  126. 
Materialism,  16,  20. 
Maudsley,  Dr.,  physiologist,  53. 
Maurenbrecher,    Professor,   on  Lu- 
ther, 96. 
May  devotions,  217. 
Mecca,  19. 
Medici,  Catholic  Florence  under  the, 

113. 
Melancthon,  88, 92, 93. 95, 97 ;  Church 

of  Luther  and,  109,  209. 
Melander,  court  preacher,  96. 


230 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Melrose  Abbey,  133. 

Memoirs  of  Dr.  C  Buchsel,  iio;  of 
Henry  Murray,  37, 

Mencius,  65. 

Menzl  the  historian,  iia 

Merry  del  Val,  Cardinal,  on 
"Branch"  theory  of  Anglicans, 
140. 

Methodist  churches,  use  of,  120. 

Methodists,  85,  122. 

Method  of  Catholic  confession,  170. 

Meynert,  physiologist,  53. 

Middle  Ages,  Church  of  the,  133; 
history  of  Rome  in  the,  174. 

Mill,  John  Stuart,  70. 

Milton,  52. 

Ministers,  married,  127;  theological 
examination  of,  2. 

Ministry,  preparation  for  Protes- 
tant, 5. 

Michelangelo,  198. 

Miracles,  ancient  and  modern,  185; 
and  man's  experience,  187;  atti- 
tude of  Church  toward,  185 ;  Bible 
and,  189;  Christianity  and,  192; 
credibility  of  Christ's,  193;  hos- 
tility to,  among  scientists,  185 ;  of 
Christ,  Celsus  and  the,  194;  of 
Jesus,  193;  of  saints,  195;  possi- 
bility of,  192;  Protestants  and  age 
of,  195 ;  recorded  by  the  Bible  and 
the  Church,  189;  the  Church  and, 

195- 
Missal,  128,  220 ;  Anglican  and  Epis- 
copalian  prayers    from    Catholic, 

T2S, 

Missionaries,  Christian,  68. 
Mission  of  Christ,  72. 
Missions,  Foreign,  3. 
Mohammedans  and  Mary,  177. 
Monasteries    and    abbeys,    Bible    in 

the,  103. 
Monks  in  Ireland,  Dominican,  132. 
Montana,  Protestant  Bishop  of,  on 

Church  rivalry,   117. 
Montpellier,  University  of,  112. 
Moral  Law,  43 ;  Creator  the  Author 

of,  49;  revelation  of,  64. 
More,  Sir  Thomas,  96,  131. 
Morgenstern,  Benedict,  on  Luther's 

teachings,  94. 
Mormonism,  forerunner  of,  95. 
Mormons,  the,  118. 
Moslems,  19. 

Mother  Church,  the,  88,  89. 
Mother  of  God,  the,  178. 
Mount,  Sermon  on  the,  63,  71. 
Muggletonians,  a  sect,  84,  118. 
Miinster,  Communism  in,  95. 
Murray,  memoirs  of  Henry,  37. 


N 

Naim,  widow  of,  193. 

Naples,  University  of,  112. 

Napoleon,  73,  74. 

Nativity,  11. 

Nazareth,  178. 

Nestorian  heresy,  the,  178. 

Nemesis,  25. 

Newark,  Rev.  Dr.  Peach  of,  on 
churches,  116. 

Newman,  Cardinal,  i,  69,  87,  13S, 
179,  204;  on  Revelation,  64. 

New  Testament,  6,  7,  9,  10,  48,  65, 
79,  80,  81,  169;  Christianity  pre- 
ceded the,  10;  manuscripts  of, 
6. 

Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  37,  51. 

New  York  Press  Association,  28. 

Nicene  and  Apostles'  Creeds,  8a 

Nimptsch,  cloister  of,  91. 

Non-Conformists,  4,  128,  136,  168; 
persecution  of,  134. 

Numberg,  Bible  in  public  library  of, 

lOI. 


Oceanica,  idols  of,  67. 
CEcolampadius  and  Capito,  94. 
Old  Testament,  6,  7. 
Omar  Khayyam  philosophy  of,   15, 

52. 

Oratorians,  204. 

Oriental  sects  and  Mary,  177. 

Origen,  80,  178. 

Origin  of  Anglican  Church,  131 ;  of 

Anglicanism,  130. 
Orleans,  University  of,  iiz 
Osier,  Dr.  William,  61. 
Ovid,  50. 
Oxford,  University  of,  112. 


Padua,  University  of,  ii2. 
Paganism,  philosophies  of,  46. 
Paine,  138. 

Pantheists  and  agnostics,  59. 
Papacy,  173;  Luther  against  the,  98; 
rejection  of,   142;  revolt  against, 

89. 
Papal    Infallibility,    145,    152,    153; 
See,  England  and,  134;  supremacy, 

173. 
Parables  of  Jesus,  6a 
Paradise,  154. 

Paris,  University  of,  97,  1 12. 
Parliament,  English,   135,  136,   138; 

of  Ireland,  207. 


INDEX 


231 


Parr,  Catharine,  and  Henry  VIII., 

131. 

Passion,  the,  213. 

Pasteur,  Louis,  76. 

Peasants*  War,  95;  loss  of  life  in, 

96. 

Penance,  Sacrament  of,  127,  152, 
154,  165,  166,  171;  Father  Burke 
on,  169;  St.  Chrysostom  on,  150. 

Pennsylvania,  University  of,  119. 

Pentecost,  feast  of,  217;  Mary  on 
the  day  of,  178. 

Persecution,  202,  205;  of  Non-Con- 
formists, 134. 

Perthes,    Frederick,    autobiography 

of,  109. 

Perugia,  University  of,  112. 

Pestalozzi,  108. 

Peter,  173;  Church  of,  144;  suprem- 
acy of,  149,  150- 

Pharisees,  Scribes  and,  77,  115,  I93» 

194. 
Phidias,  57. 
Philosophy,  Christianity  and  pagan, 

47.        .        .        ^ 
Pisa,  University  of,  112. 

Plato,  6,  57. 

Plays,  suggestive,  24. 

Plenary  indulgence,  159. 

Plutarch,  56,  57. 

Poictiers,  University  of,  112. 

Political  Economy,  Dr.  Percy  With- 
ers on,  133. 

Pontiffs  in  Rome,  153. 

Pontius  Pilate,  Billy  Sunday's  de- 
scription of,  119. 

Pope  Alexander  VI.,  174;  Benedict 
XV,  151;  Clement  VII.  and 
Henry  VIIL,  130;  Gregory  the 
Great,  133,  220;  Hadrian  IV.,  134; 
Pius  IX.,  179,  212;  Leo  X.,  89, 
130;  Leo  the  Great,  173. 

Popes,  Catholic,  I53 ;  of  science,  192. 

Positivism,  Auguste  Comte's,  19; 
saints  of,  19. 

Pouchet,  M.,  of  the  Institute  of 
France,  191. 

Prague,  271 ;  University  of,  112. 

Prayer,  188 ;  book  of  Common,  135 ; 
part  of  the  divine  scheme,  188; 
rationalist  and,  187;  to  Christ's 
Mother  and  the  Saints,  180. 

Prayer-book  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, 167. 

Praxiteles,  57. 

Preachers,  priests  and,  128. 

Presbyterian,  2,  85,  122;  Westmin- 
ster Confession,  152. 

Presbyterians  in  Ireland,  207;  per- 
secution of,  205. 


Press  a  danger,  28;  and  pulpit,  27; 

capitalized,  28. 
Preuss,  Hans,  on  Luther,  100. 
Priest,  confession  duty  of,  172. 
Priests,  127;  in  reign  of  Elizabeth, 
135;    of    Anglican    Church,    167; 
unworthy,  172. 
Private  Judgment,  Reformers  and, 

202. 
Protestant,  126;  atrocities  after  the 
Reformation,  204;  belief  in  Bap- 
tism, 4;    Church   rivalry.    Bishop 
of  Montana  on,  117;  superfluous 
churches,    117;    churches,    sensa- 
tionalism in,  124;  churches,  mem- 
bers  of,    121 ;    church   in    Conti- 
nental   Europe,    in;    church    in 
Germany,    109;    conflicts,   98;    in- 
consistency, 199;  intolerance,  205; 
minister   and    success,    123;   min- 
istry,   preparation    for,    5;    non- 
Conformists,    168,    217;    persecu- 
tion, 206;  professor,  views  of,  112. 
Protestants,    and    age   of    miracles, 
195;    and    Bible,    80;    and   hand- 
maids of  religion,  198;  confession 
of,  171 ;  conflict  between  Catholics 
and,  209 ;  in  Ireland,  206 ;  not  bap- 
tized,   4;    persecution    by,    202; 
saints  of,  217;  the  book  of,  68. 
Protestantism,  115;  and  institutions 
of  learning,  112;  and  rationalism, 
105;    as    a    religious    system    in 
America,    116;    attacks   on    Bible 
by,  103;  defined,  118;  discordant, 
87;  disintegration  of,  2;  division 
in,  85 ;  essence  of,  142 ;  in  Amer- 
ica,  116;   in  Germany,  105,   in; 
lack  of  unity  in,  85;  one  of  the 
results  of,  i ;  present  condition  of, 

115. 
Protoplasm,  evolution  and,  40. 

Proverbs,  165. 

Psychical  Research,  Society  for,  189. 

Psychists,  189. 

Pulpit,  Press  and,  27. 

Punishment,  temporal,  157,  159- 

Purgatory,  and  indulgences,  154; 
dogma  of,  179;  Catholic  Doctrine 
of,  154,  155;  reformers  reject, 
155;  souls  in,   162;   suffering  of, 

156. 
Puritans,  persecution  of,  205. 
Proudhon,  socialist,  32. 
Prussia,  113. 
Pythagoras,  57. 


Quakers,  207. 


233 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


R 


Ramsey  on  St.  Peter,  151. 
Raphael,  198,  218. 
Rationalist  and  prayer,  187. 
Rationalistic        Christianity,        68 ; 

Church,  137. 
Rationalism,  i,  15,  68,  74,  107,  112, 

115;     and     Protestantism,      105; 

Lecky*s  History  of,  74,  99.   183; 

Rome  and,  14. 
Rationalists,  103,  143,  194. 
Reading,  Abbot  of,  and  Henry  VIII., 

131- 

Redemption,  the,  109;  of  man,  2a 

Reeve,  John,  founder  of  sect,  84. 

Reformation,  88,  92,  96,  130,  148, 
205,  209;  Luther's,  85,  90,  105; 
Church  of  the  Anglican,  86 ;  "His- 
tory of  the  Catholic,"  96;  or 
Revolution,  89;  Protestant  atroci- 
ties after,  204. 

Reformers  and  private  judgment, 
202;  reject  purgatory,  155. 

Rhinelands,  113. 

Rhode  Island,  208. 

Reincarnation,  20. 

Relics,  use'of,  among  Catholics,  200; 
reverence  for,  201 ;  veneration  of 
images  and,  197. 

Religion,  an  easy  system  of,  160; 
authority  in,  81 ;  Christian,  64 ; 
lack  of,  27 ;  science  and,  192. 

Religious  condition  of  England,  86; 
Digest,  129;  individualism,  118; 
instruction,  Dr.  Vetter  on,  108 ; 
liberty,  16;  life,  211;  persecution, 
203;  in  Massachusetts,  208;  sys- 
tem, 116;  toleration,  edict  of,  206. 

Renaissance,  the,  218. 

Renan,  151 ;  and  Lazarus,  194. 

Report  of  ^  Federal  Council  of 
churches  in  the  United  States, 
129. 

Republic   of   Venice,   the    Catholic, 

113. 
Resurrection,  the,  78,  106,  178,  190, 

195,  213. 
Revelation,  9,   20,   51,   63,   68,   75; 

angel   of   the,    180;    Bible   a,   8; 

Book  of,  48,   180;   Christian,  75; 

divine,    191 ;    God's,   68,    78,    191, 

192;  Newman  on,  64;  St.  John's, 

84;  truths  of,  146. 
Revivalists,  118. 
Revolt,  Reformation  a,  148. 
Revolution,  Reformation  or,  89. 
Richter,  Jean  Paul,  43. 
Ridley,  on  heresy,  209. 
Rites  of  Church  of  England,  135. 
Ritual  of  the  Mass,  219. 


Roads  to  Rome,  177. 

Robertson,  F.  W.,  on  a  miracle,  185. 

Rock  of  Peter,  Church  of  Rome 
founded  on  the,  87. 

Rogers,  Prof.  James  E.,  on  Church 
of  Middle  Ages,  133. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  147; 
founded  by  Christ,  79. 

Roman  Empire,  32;  moralists,  48. 

Rome,  7,  17,  47;  ancient,  27;  and 
Rationalism,  14;  Church  of,  68, 
87,  118,  130,  137,  143;  Fathers  and 
Bishops  of  151 ;  church  of  St. 
Peter  at,  163 ;  doctrines  of  Church 
of,  114;  great  children  of  the 
Church  of,  76;  in  Middle  Ages, 
history  of,  174;  pagan  and  Chris- 
tian, 151 ;  Pontiffs  in,  153 ;  Uni- 
versity of,  112;  vestals  in  pagan, 
92. 

Rosary,   128. 

Roscoe,    the    Protestant    authority, 

174. 
Rostock,  University  of,  112. 
Rotenberg,  94,  96. 
Royce,  Rev.  Munroe,  116. 
Ruskin,  185. 


Sabbath  obserrancc,  80. 

Sacramental  confession,  168. 

Sacrament,  Baptism  a  necessary,  3; 
of  Holy  Communion,  137;  of 
Penance,  152,  154,  166,  169,  I7i- 

Sacraments,  the,  8(5,  127,  172,  213, 
221. 

Sacred  Host,  the,  220. 

Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  128. 

Sacrilege,  sin  of,  170. 

Sadducees,  Our  Lord  to  the,  66. 

Saint,  Aloysius,  218;  Augustine,  79, 
I33»  145.  168,  186,  201,  211,  216; 
Carlo  Borromeo,  104,  218;  Cath- 
arine of  Sienna,  218;  Chrysostom, 
150,  181 ;  Elizabeth,  175 ;  Francis 
of  Assisi,  218;  Francis  Xavier, 
218;  Helena,  73;  Ignatius  Loyola. 
218;  James,  48,  loi,  165;  Jerome, 
201;  John,  65,  66,  67,  77f  79, 
107,  146,  148,  149,  153,  165,  188, 
193,  194 ;  John  the  Baptist,  121 ; 
Joseph,  dream  of,  189;  Luke,  65, 
107,  17s;  Leo,  Pope,  150;  Mark, 
149;  Matthew,  60,  66,  70,  115, 
149,  165,  193;  Paul,  9,  48,  57, 
64,  76,  80,  91,  93,  loi,  146,  160, 
180,  185,  188,  201;  Peter,  9,  72, 
142,  150,  163,  165,  201;  authority 
of  the  successor  of,  142;  Philip 
Neri,  218 ;  Stephen,  relics  of,  201 ; 


INDEX 


233 


Teresa,  218;  Vincent  de  Paul, 
218. 

Saints,  Christ's  Mother,  and  prayers 
to  the,  180;  commtmion  of,  155, 
160,  162,  175;  and  martyrs,  re- 
minders of,  217;  commemoration 
of,  217;  in  heaven,  180;  Island  of 
the,  115;  miracles  of  the,  195;  of 
Protestants,  217. 

St.  Petersburg,  7. 

Salamanca,  University  of,  112. 

Sale,   marriage   of   Marghereta  of, 

95. 
Sandemanians,  peculiarities  of,  84. 

Savage,    Minot   J.,   Unitarian   min- 
ister, 15. 
Saviour,  2. 
Saxon  Court,  113. 
Saxony,    Luther    to    Duke    Johann 

of,  94.  ... 

Scandinavia,  rationalism  m,  107. 

Scarlet  Woman,   Church  of   Rome 

the,  137. 
Scherer,  author,  142,  216. 
Schiaparelli,  and  astronomy,  34. 
Schismatic  Greek  Church  and  Mary, 

177. 
Schultzc,  Professor,  physiologist,  53. 

Science,  191;  and  life's  origin,  186; 
and  religion,  15,  192;  and  the 
existence  of  God,  15;  Popes  of, 
192. 

Scientists,  185. 

Scotland,  social  conditions  in,  114; 
witchcraft  in,  208. 

Scribes  and  Pharisees,  77^  115. 

Scriptures,  3,  6,  80,  81 ;  Church  pre- 
cedes the,  80. 

Scrolls,  Rev.  Mr.,  on  converts,  142. 

Scroop,  Lord,  and  acts  of  Parlia- 
ment, 136. 

Secession,  Reformation  does  not 
mean,  88. 

Sects,  list  of  in  England  and  Amer- 
ica, 82,  83. 

Sectarianism,  discordant,  145. 

Seneca,  46,  47.  52,  57,  64,  65;  on  a 
future  life,  58. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount,  63,  67,  71,  91. 

Servetus,  98,  209. 

Seventh-Day  Baptists,  80. 

Seymour,   Jane,   and   Henry   VIII., 

131. 
Shakespeare,  22. 
Sheedy,  Rev.   M.  M.,  on  Christian 

Unity,  117. 
Sheehan,   Canon,  D.D.,  early  essay 

of,  16. 
Siemens,  Sir  W.,  on  knowledge,  38. 
Silesia,  cloister  in,  91. 
Simon,  M.  Jules,  statesman,  29. 


Sinaitic  manuscript,  the,  7. 
Sin,  effects  of,  59. 
Sins,  commission  of  Apostles  to  for- 
give, 165. 
Sistine  Madonna,  218. 
Socialism,  44. 

Socialist   Sunday-schools,  31 ;  text- 
book, 31. 
Society     for     Psychical     Research, 

189;  of  Friends,  207. 
Societies,  Ethical,  68. 
Socrates,  63 ;  on  a  future  life,  58. 
Son  of  God,  71 ;  Church  founded  by 

the,  8S;  human  element  in  the,  2; 

instituted  Baptism,  4 ;  miracles  of, 

190. 
Sophocles,  56. 
Soul,  existence  of,  53 ;  of  the  church, 

212. 
South  Africa,  Bishop  Colenso  in,  15. 
South,  secession  of,  89. 
Soulie,  Frederic,  and  the  Sisters  of 

Charity,  46. 
Souls  in  Purgatory,  162. 
Spain,  Catholic,  113. 
Spencer,  15,  17,  34,  37- 
Star  of  Bethlehem,  11. 
Stella  Maris,  181. 
Stocker,  Dr.,  106,  107,  m. 
Stoic  philosophers,  65,  72, 
Strauss,  71. 

Suffield,  Rev.  Robert,  Unitarian,  145. 
Suffrage,  Universal,  114. 
Sunday-schools,  Socialist,  31. 
Supernatural,  Gospels  a  reward  of 

the,  192. 
Surplice  riots,  136. 
Sutcliffe,  Rev.  J.  G.,  author,  177. 
Sweden,  social  conditions  in,  114. 
Swetchine,  Madame,  211. 
Swinton,   John,    New   York   editor, 

28. 
Switzerland,  rationalism  in,   107. 
Symbol,  crucifix  or  picture  a,  197. 


Talmud,  the,  38. 

Teacher,  divinely  instituted,  lO. 

Teaching,  essence  of  Christ's,  65. 

Ten  Commandments,  Luther  on,  93. 

Testament,  New,  10. 

Tetzel,  162. 

Text-book,   Socialist,  31. 

Theological  inquisitors,  2. 

Theology,  Church  of  England  dis- 
cards Christian,  137. 

Theses  nailed  to  church  of  Witten- 
berg, 90. 

Thiersch,  151. 

Thirty-nine  Articles,  the,  136. 


234 


REBUILDING  A  LOST  FAITH 


Thompson,    Sir    William,    on    the 

planets,  35- 
Toulouse,  University  of,  II2. 
Towers  of  Babel,  33. 
Tractarians,  204. 
Tradition,  Protestants  disregard,  3; 

apostolic,  7 ;  link  between  past  and 

present,  80;  supremacy  of   Peter 

a,  150;  of  Fathers,  81. 
Theism,  26. 

Transubstantiation,  190. 
Treasury  of  the  Church,  161. 
Trench,  on  Revelation,  63. 
Trier,  University  of,  112. 
Trocadero,  The,  29. 
Tubingen,  University  of,  112. 
Tyndall,  Professor,  39,  186. 

u 

Unitarian,  13,  iii. 

Unitarianism,  13,  105. 

Unitarians,  106 ;  persecution  of,  205. 

United  States  in  1861,  89;  paradise 
of  Democracy,  122.  , 

Unity,  Rev.  M.  M.  Sheedy  on  Chris- 
tian, 117;  of  Faith,  144. 

Universality  of  the  Mass,  219. 

Universe,  matter  and  force  in  the. 

Universities,  modem,  112;  hst  of 
Catholic,  112. 


Valladolid,  University  of,  112. 
Vatican,  the,  I34,  JSL 
Vaticanus  manuscript,  the,  7. 

Vedas,  65.        .  ,     ,. 

Veneration  of  images  and  rehcs,  197. 
Venice,  Catholic  Republic  of,  113. 
^^esoers  2i7» 

Vestals,' the,  in  pagan  Rome,  92. 
Vetter,  Dr.,  108. 


Veuillot,  Louis,  202. 
Vienna,  University  of,  112. 
Virgin  Birth,  78,  106,  176. 
Virgin  Mother,  179. 
Virchow,  Professor,  186. 
Viterbo,  Bishop  of,  88. 
Voltaire,  138. 
Von  Hartmann,  Dr.,  86. 
Vulpilas,  Bishop  (footnote),  7. 

w 

Walch,  on  Luther,  92,  96. 

Wallace,  Professor,  and  Darwin,  4a 

Wartburg,  Luther  at,  99. 

Washington,  201. 

Wesley,    John,    founder    of    Meth- 
odism, 208. 

Westcott,  English  scholar,  151. 

Westminster    Confession,    Presbyte- 
rian, 152.  <.  O 

White,  James,  founder  of  sect,  84- 

Whittier,  52. 

Wiesler,  scholar,  151. 

Wilberforce,  208. 

Will,  liberty  of,  50. 

Witchcraft,  208. 

Witches,  persecution  of,  208. 

Withers,  Dr.  Percy,  on  Political 
Economy,  133. 

Wittenberg,  9i»  94»  96;  monk  of, 
130;  theses  nailed  to  church  of, 
90;  University  of,  112. 

Wolsey,  Cardinal  and  Henry  VIIL, 

131. 
Works,  Luther's,  91. 
World  War,  effects  of,  22,  23. 
Worms,  Luther  defies  Pope  at,  90. 
Worship  of  images,  I97» 


Zwingli,  104. 


THE  END 


ALPHABETICAL  LIST  OF 
KENEDY   PUBLICATIONS 

Spiritual  Reading,  Instruction  and  Meditation. 

Ascent  of  Calvary,  The,  by  Rev.  loub  perroy.    $i.7S 
This  book  is  excellent  for  Lenten  reading  and  Holy  Hour  devotions,  treat- 
ing as  it  does  the  Passion  of  Christ  from  many  unusual  angles. 

AscETiCAL  Ascent  of  the  Love  of  God,  by  paolin  gtloteaux.    *$i.2S 
The  author  summarizes  the  virtues  of  the  true  Christian  and  provides  a 
safe  guide  for  his  soul's  progress  from  tepid  complacency  to  the  greatest 
fervor  and  love  of  God. 

Be  of  Good  Heart,  by  joseph  mc  sorley,  cs.p.    $1.50 
This  little  book,  in  so  many  ways  comparable  to  that  beautiful  and  consoling 
masterpiece  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  Introduction  to  a  Devout  Life,  has  for 
its  subtitle,  A  Plea  for  Christian  Optimism. 

Cresting  the  Ridge,  by  a  sister  of  notre  dame.     Cloth.    $2.00 
To  those  who  find  cresting  the  ridge  of  life  a  difficult  task  this  excellently 
written  book  will  be  an  inspiration  and  a  delight. 

Divine  Counsellor,  The,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.     Cloth,  $1.75.    Flexible 
leather,  $2.50 
If  you  are  puzzled  with  difficulties  concerning  the  great  mysteries  of  living, 
suffering  sinning,  you  will  receive  gentle,  clear  answers  from  The  Divine 
Counsellor. 

FAriH,  by  Msgr.  de  cibergues.    i6mo.    Cloth.    *$i.6S 
Faith  from  a  Catholic  viewpoint  is  a  reasonable  virtue  as  this  book  will 
clearly  show.     It  is  a  popular  explanation  concerning  a  virtue  of  which 
the  modem  world  possesses  too  little. 

First  Fruits,  by  Sr.  mary  philip.    i6mo.    Cloth.    *$i.iS 
This  is  a  book  of  short  daily  meditations  based  on  the  ideal  life  of  Christ. 

God's  Golden  Gifts,  by  flora  freeman.     i6mo.    Cloth.    *$i.25 
Golden  Gifts  are  the  graces  by  which  God  smoothes  the  rough  way  of  hfe 
and  hghtens  the  burden  of  the  heavy-ladened. 

Greater  Perfection,  Conferences  of  Sister  Miriam  Teresa  of  the  Sisters  of 

Charity  of  Convent  Station,  New  Jersey.     Edited  by  Rev.  Charles  c. 

demjanovich.     i2mo.  Cloth.     $2.00 

This  book  can  be  read  with  profit  and  interest  by  both  religious  and  laity 

because  it  was  written  by  a  young  novice  who  writes  in  a  modem,  breezy 

style  and  stresses  the  practicality  of  everyone  attaining  Christian  perfection. 


Heart  op  Revelation,  The,  by  trakos  p.  donwellt,  sj.     i6mo.     Cloth, 

FaU'er  Donnelly  probes  the  Sacred  Heart,  the  Heart  of  Mary,  of  Peter,  of 
MaKe  examines  the  thoughts  within  them  and  »«  Jjjf,/^"^  \?J^^^«* 
style  draws  lessons  that  are  wholesome  and  valuable  to  our  daily  hves. 

Heart  of  the  Gospel,  The,  by  prancis  p.  donnelly,  sj.     i6fiio.    aoth. 

Si  2^ 
"A  remarkable  study  of  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus." 

Highway  op  the  Cross,  The,  by  Rev.  placid  wareing,  c.p.    i6tno.    Cloik. 

Thb'"^iter  presents  the  successive  scenes  of  the  Passion  in  vivid,  clear- 
cut  oSe  against  their  historic  background  without  gettmg  m  the  way  of 
the  reader  with  gratuitous  reflection  or  comment. 

Holy  Angels,  The,  by  Raphael  v.  o'connixl,  s.j.    $iSo 
It  is  a  popular  treatise  of  superlative  merit  containmg  nch  food  for  retreat 

meditations. 

Holy  Communion,  by  Msgr.  de  gibergues.    i6mo.    Cloth.    *$i;65 
A  spirit  of  enthusiasm  for  Holy  Communion  pervades  it,  and  it  will  be  con- 
tagious  for  the  lucky  CathoUc  who  reads  the  book. 

Holy  Hour  in  Gethsemane,  The,  by  prancis  p.  donnelly,  s.j.    i6mo.    Cloth. 

In  a  ^ries  of  meditations  full  of  sympathy  and  the  spirit  of  reparation,  the 
author  gives  abundant  thought  for  many  different  Holy  Hours. 

Jesus  All  Good,  by  Alexander  gallerani,  s.j.    $i-25  «.,^u 

In  every  one  of  these  short,  simple  chapters  is  a  world  of  satisfymg  consola- 
tion. 

Jesus  Crucified,  by  Frs.  pierre  marie  and  jean  Nicholas  grau,  s.j.    i6«io. 

MfditLuons  on^he  Passion  of  Christ  designed  to  further  men  on  the  way 
to  perfection  during  life  so  that  they  may  die  in  the  fnendship  of  God. 

Jesus  Our  Friend,  by  Rev.  c.  j.  white.    $i.7S  ,  ^        *    t?  ♦k-, 

A  deep  understanding  of  man's  needs  lends  an  unusual  earnestness  to  Father 
White's  plea  for  a  greater  love  of  God. 

Little  Flower  of  Carmel,  The,  by  michael  williams.  i6mo.  Cloth.  $1.35 
A  glowing  tribute  to  the  "greatest  woman  of  our  age'—wntten  by  one  who 
years  ago  received  one  of  the  first  "roses"  she  let  faU  from  Heaven. 

Little  Way  op  Spiritual  Childhood,  The,  by  Rev.  c.  martin.    Paper  bound. 

The  spiritual  teachings  of  the  Little  Flower  find  appropriate  expression  in 
these  carefully  selected  considerations  on  simplicity,  abandonment,  poverty, 
love  and  confidence  in  God. 

Living  Presence,  The,  6y  2?ev.  HUGH  o*laverty.    $1.75  . 

A  book  such  as  this,  the  keynote  of  which  is  the  comparative  easinesi  o\ 
salvation,"  will  be  of  special  interest  to  the  over-scrupulous. 

Maxims  of  Christian  Chivalry,  by  kenelm  h.  digby.    *$i.2S 


Mystery  op  Jesus,  The,  by  Dam  savinien  louismet,  o.s.b.    *$2.25 
Dom  Louismet  causes  the  Life  of  Christ  to  pass  before  our  eyes  and  shows 
us  how  to  use  that  Life  as  a  source  of  power  enabling  our  own  souls  to  rise 
nearer  to  perfection. 

Mystical  Knowledge  of  God,  The,  by  Dom  savinien  louismet,  o.s.b.  *$2.25 
The  author  endeavors  to  show  that  every  Christian  can  obtain  a  most 
beautiful  knowledge  of  God,  and  enlarge  it  by  the  practice  of  love. 

Mystical  Life,  The,  by  Dom  savinien  louismet,  o.s.b.    *$2.2S 
The  book  begins  with  a  description,  or  rather  an  analysis,  of  the  mystical 
life;  tells  us  who  are  mystics  and  who  are  not,  and  then  proceeds  to  show 
the  law  of  progress  and  the  three  divisions  of  the  subject. 

Mysticism,  True  and  False,  by  Dom  savinien  louismet,  o.s.b.    *$2.2S 

Paradise  of  the  Soul,  The,  by  Blessed  albert  the  great,    z^mo.     Cloth. 

♦$I.2S 
PHILOTHEA  OP  THE  DeVOUT  LiFE,  ThE,  by  ALLAN  ROSS.      itmO.      Cloth.      *$I.2S 

This  is  an  interesting  account  of  the  person  to  whom  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
addressed  his  letters  which  make  up  the  "Introduction  to  the  Devout  Life.'* 

Prayer  for  All  Times,  by  pierre  charles,  s.j.    *$i.8s 
A  work  by  a  master  of  the  spiritual  life. 

Priest  Before  the  Altar,  The,  by  f.  macnamara,  c.ss.r.     iZmo.     Cloth. 

*$i-3S 
A  little  book  for  priests  containing  preparation  and  thanksgiving  before  and 

after  Mass  for  every  day  in  the  week,  according  to   St.  Alphonsus;   also 

preparation  and  thanksgiving  from  the  Roman  Missal  and  various  prayers. 

Rabboni,  by  a  sister  of  notre  dame.    New  edition.    i6mo.    Cloth.    $0.75 
A  series  of  heart-to-heart  talks  with  Our  Lord  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 
Fervent,  inspiring,  charming.    Excellent  for  Holy  Hour  and  meditation. 

Real  Presence  of  Jesus   Christ  in  the   Eucharist,  The,   by   cardinal 
gaetano  de  LAI.    ^$1.50 

Reign  op  Christ,  The,  by  Joseph  husslein,  s.j.    Cloth.    Illustrated.    $2.00 
The  figure  of  Christ  the  King  has  inspired  Father  Husslein  to  give  us  a 
glorious  book  about  the  Eternal  King  of  the  World.    The  two  Papal  Encyc- 
licals on  Christ  the  King  and  Reparation  to  the  Sacred  Heart  are  included 
and  explained  by  the  author. 

Risen  Jesus,  The,  by  Most  Rev.  alban  goodier,  s.j.,  d.d.    *$i.6s 
The  author  takes  the  Gospel  account  of  the  apparitions  of  our  Lord  and 
fills  in  the  details  with  a  masterly  touch. 

Soldier's  Contedences  with  God,  A,  by  Giosufe  borsi.  i6mo.  Cloth.  $1.25 
A  series  of  meditations  and  reflections  of  a  young  soldier. 

Spirit  of  Saint  TniRESE,  The,  by  Carmelites  of  kilmacud.    *$2.is 
A  splendid  example  for  those  who  wish  to  learn  to  love  and  serve  God  better. 

Spiritual  Exercises  for  Monthly  and  Annual  Retreats,  by  Rev.  p.  dun- 
oyer.    *$3.so 
Based  on  the  tp^ir^^ng  of  St.  Alphonsus  liguori  in  his  Spouse  of  Christ, 


Spiritual  Exercises  op  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola.  The,  A  translation  by 

ELDER   MULLAN,   SJ.      l6fnO.      Cloth.      $I.OO 

Thoughts  op  Saint  Ther^se.    A  Translation  by  Tm  camielitm  op  mlma- 
cvTiLo.    Cloth.    $i.oo.    Flexible  Uaiher,    GUt  edges.    $2.50 

True  Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  by  Blessed  louis  marie  oricnon  de 

MONTFORT.      $1.2$ 

^X^  t^T^l  ^^i^alV^u'^r^an^-^e  c*o'^u„icate  with  our  dead?" 

Vine  and  Branch,  by  a  sister  op  notre  dame.    i6mo.    Cloth.    $1.25 
A  glorious  devotional  book. 

VmrES  OF  the  Valley,  6y  P.  MC  KAY.    i6mo.    Cloth.    *$i-2.5 
^iS^cSir^e  selection  of  quotations  from  masters  of  the  spmtual  hfe  whose 
voices  will  ever  be  heard  on  the  paths  of  virtue  which  lead  above. 

Watching  an  Hour,  by  prancis  p.  donnelly,  s.j.  ^6.*»^_ .  ^|^**'  .^.V^^^^itor 
It  ^furnish  food  for  profitable  thought  on  the  saving  Mystery  of  the  AlUr. 

When  the  Soul  is  in  Darkness,  by  henriette  brey.  $i.7S  .  .  .^,  ^,^^ 
Here^the  work  of  an  mvalid  who  has  discovered  the  way  of  mtenor  peace 
and  gladly  offers  it  to  us. 

Whom  the  Lord  Loveth.    Consoling  Thoughts  for  Every  Day,  by  Henrietta 
E.  delamare.     i6mo.     Cloth.    $1.25 

Wopn«;  nv  Ottr  Lady.  The,  by  william  hanly,  o.sj.c.    *$i.65 

^Espedllirre^^^^^  ^^^ P^'^^JL'^'^'f^  "°^  "  """^"^  '°°'" 

panion  to  Rehgious  and  laity,  espeaally  Children  of  Mary. 


Lives  of  Saints,  History,  Biography  and  Memoirs 

African  Fabiola,  The,  by  Joseph  o'connell,  d.d.    $1.25  .  -  ^ 

The  story  of  St.  Perpetua,  who  together  with  her  slave  St.  Fchatas  sutteiea 
martyrdom  at  Carthage  in  the  year  203  aj). 

Alphonsus  Liguori,  St.,  Life  op,  by  j.  t.  mullock,  dj).    $1.50 

Anne,  St.:  Her  Cult  and  Shrines,  by  Rev.  myles  v.  ronan.    i2mo.     Cloth. 

♦$1.50 
Antony  op  Padua,  St.,  Life  op,  by  Rev.  servais  dkks.    $1.50 
Augustine,  St.,  Life  of,  by  p.  e.  moriarty,  o.s.a.    $1.50 

Bellarmine,  S.J.,  Blessed  Robert  Francis  Cardinm.,  The  L^  ^°.Works  «^, 
by  JAM^s  broderick,  s.j.     With  an  Introduction  by  His  Efntnence  car 
DmM.  EHRLE,  s.j.    Two  volumes.    Demi-Octavo.    1,100  pages.    Fortyiovt 
gravure  illustrations.    Per  set  *$io.so 

Berchmans,  St.  John,  Lipe  op,  by  james  j.  daly,  s.j.    $1.50 


Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  The,  Life  of,  by  Venerable  mary  of  jesus  of  agreda. 
$1.50 

Catherine  of  Sienna,  St.,  Life  op,  by  Blessed  Raymond  op  capua.    $1.50 

Cecilia,  St.,  Life  of,  by  Dom  prosper  gueranger.    $1.50 

CuRfe  d*Ars,  The,  St.  Jean-Marie-Baptiste  Vianney,  by  ABBt  prancis  tsochu. 
Translated  by  dom  ernest  crap,  o.s.b.    Octavo.    Cloth.    583  pp.    *$7j00 

Daughter  of  the  Cross,  A.    The  Life  and  Mystical  Letters  of  Sister  Emilie. 
By  c.  richstaetter,  s.j.     iimo.    Cloth.    *$2.7S 

De  La  Salle,  St.  John  Baptist,  The  Story  op,  by  brother  leo.    $1.50 
This   "literary   mosaic"   admirably    portrays   the    life    of   the   Apostle   of 
Youth — the  aristocrat  who  while  still  a  young  man  dedicated  himself  to 
the  education  of  children  of  the  working  cla^s. 

Francis  de  Sales,  St.,  Lite  op,  by  Robert  ormsby.    $1.50 
A  shorter  Ufe. 

Francis  op  Assisi,  St.,  Lipe  op,  by  Rev.  candide  chalippe.    $1.50 
The  book  is  made  eminently   interesting  by  the  abundance   of  incidents 
and  anecdotes  of  the  saint's  Ufe  not  to  be  found  elsewhere. 

Gabriel,  Saint;  Passionist,  by  father  camillus,  c.p.    Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper 
bound.     $0.50.     Wholesale,  $040.     Per  hundred,  $35  00 
This  new  and  popular  life  of  the  youthful  Passionist,  canonized  May,  1922, 
contains  much  valuable  and  interesting  information  of  his  early  life  and 
habits  furnished  through  his  brother  and  heretofore  unpublished. 

Gregory  the  Great,  St.,  Life  of,  by  a  sister  of  notre  dame.    *$2.oo 

Ignatius  Loyola,  St.,  by  john  hungerford  pollen,  s.j.    Illustrated.    $1.50 
A  new  study  which  will  appeal  to  both  the  student  and  the  general  reader. 

Isaac  Jogues,  Missioner  and  Martyr,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.  iimo. 
Cloth.  Eight  full-page  illustrations.  $2.00.  Paper  cover,  without  illus^ 
trations,  $0.50.  Wholesale,  $0.40 
Father  Scott  tells  an  honest  straightforward  history  of  heroism  and  courage 
that  thrills  the  reader  with  wonder  and  amazement.  Eight  illustrations  add 
to  the  attractiveness  of  the  story  which  exceeds  many  novels  in  excitement 
and  interest. 

John  the  Evangelist,  St.,  by  c.  c.  martindale,  s.j.    *$i.8s 

Justin  the  Martyr,  St.,  by  c.  c.  martindale,  s.j.    *$i.8s 

Lily  op  Israel,  The,  or.  Life  op  the  Blessed  Virgin,  by  abb6  gerbert. 
New,  revised  edition.    $1.50 

LmxE  Flower  op  Jesus,  The.     [See  Saint  Ther^se  of  Lisieux.]     Edited  by 
Rev.  T.  N.  TAYLOR.    Illustrated.    Octavo.    Cloth    *$2.7S 

LmxE  Lives  of  Great  Saints,  by  john  o'kane  Murray.    $1.75 
This  volume  contains  the  lives  of  thirty-one  illustrious  Saints  arranged  in 
the  order  of  time.    It  begins  with  the  Life  of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin  and 
ends  with  St.  Alphonsus  Liguori,— a  Saint  for  every  day  in  the  month. 


Little  White  Flower,   A:    (Saint  Th^rhe  of  Lideux).     Translated  and 
Edited  by  Rev.  x.  n.  taylor.    *$i.3S       ,  ,  ,        ,  ,  .  .        .      ,       ^      .,, 
The  beautiful  and  devoted  Ufe  of  Saint  Th6r^se  of  Lisieux  is  almost  with> 
out  parallel  in  the  list  of  the  saints  of  God. 

Margaret  Mary  Alacoque,  Life  oe  Blessed,  by  george  tickell,  s.j.    $1.50 

Patrick  St,  Life  of,  by  Rt.  Rev.  m.  j.  o'farreix.    $1.50 
A  poplr'life  of  St.  Patrick  giving  an  authentic  record  of Jje  won^erf^^ 
deeds  of  this  great  servant  of  God  to  whom  Ireland  is  mdebted  for  the 
precious  gift  of  Faith. 

Paul  of  the  Cross,  St.,  Life  of,  by  father  pius,  cj.    $i.So 

Pius  X,  Life  of,  by  f.  a.  forbes.    *i.6s 

Sheehan,  Canon,  A  Sketch  of  His  Life  and  Works,  by  Rev.  franos  boyle. 

i2mo.    Cloth,    ♦$i.oo 
Stanislas  Kostka,  St.,  LiK  OF.    £J,W  6y  edward  healy  Thompson.    $1.50 

Teresa.  St..  Life  of.    An  Autobiography.    $1.50  .         n    * a 

N^t  to  the^onfessions  of  St.  Augustine,"  thb  is  the  most  excellent  and 
edifying  biography  of  a  samt  that  we  possess. 

TH^RisE,  Saint,  of  Lisieux.    [Little  Flower  of  Jesus.l  Edited  by  Rev.  T.  N. 
TAYLOR     Illustrated.    Octavo.    Cloth.    *$2.75  .  . 

A  m^mentalT  volume  by  and  about  Saint  Tlirfae,  containing  her  auto- 
biography, letters,  selected  poems,  favors,  etc. 

Upok  God's  Holy  Hilis:   The  Guides,  by  c.  c.  martdjdmj!,  S-I-    **i-8S 
Cttb  volume  the  author  treats  of  St.  Anthony  of  Egypt,  St-  Bruno  of 
rolo^M  and  St    John  of  the  Cross,  eminent  guides  m  the  contemplative 
WerJ^d^ves  iii^^ch  Le  a  brief  ietch  of  the  saint's  Ufe  and  character. 

Liturffy,  Scripture,  Ethics,  Apologetics  and  Canon  Law 

riTBEMONY  at  Ordination  to  the  Priesthood,  The.    Paper  bound.    *?«>-3S 
Thf  c^tSete  ceTmony  in  both  Latin  and  English  for  this  important  occa- 
"    sion.    A  souvenir  of  ordinaUon  is  on  the  inside  cover. 

Christ  or  Chaos,  by  martd.  j.  scott,  s.j.    Cloth.    $i.So.    Paper  binding. 

Tli'wit?°adS'*:ntfF^t;l''r  Scott's  Ubrary  of  Popular  ApolcgeiU^  aims 
to  prove  that  tea  very  few  years  "religion"  will  mean  erther  Paganism  or 
Catholicism— there  wUl  be  no  middle  ground  of  Protestantism. 

Cbedentiais  OF  Christianitt,  The,  6y  marttn  T.  SCOTT,  S.J.    Cloth.    $i.SO. 

Pater  bindine.    Retail  $0.50.    Wholesale  $040 
For  the  man  or  woman  whose  ChrisUanity  k  vague  or  crumbbng,  this 
book  gives  the  historical  evidences  for  iU  truth  and  power. 

^rr;:aS'y  ^StX  wWUnd\^'^U%rop?.;fef  and  acc«sories 
which  help  to  build  character  in  our  rising  generation. 

Father  Scott's  Radio  Talks,  1927-1928,  by  martij?  j.  scott,  s.j.     M«k>. 
Cloth.    $2.00 


Forty  Hours*  Devotion,  The:  Its  Prayers  and  Ceremonies.  Boards.  ♦$0.35 

God  and  Myself,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.     Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper  binding. 
Retail  $0.50.    Wholesale  $040  ^  ,.  .       .        ,    ,  ,,      . 

This  book  is  an  honest  examination  into  what  rebgion  is,  what  the  true 
religion  is,  and  what  the  CathoUc  Church  teaches.  It  is  simply,  honestly  and 
clearly  written,  and  it  will  be  a  source  of  knowledge  and  consolaUon  to 
the  honest  inquirer. 

Hand  of  God,  The,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper  binding. 

Retail  $0.50.     Wholesale  $0.40 

In  clear  and  simple  language  Father  Scott  presents  this  most  mterestmg 

theology  for  the  people.    It  treats  such  topics  as  Miracles,  The  Immaculate 

ConcepUon,  Indulgences,  God's  permission  of  evil,  and  virtue  without  rehgion. 

Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  The,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    i2mo.    Cloth. 
Illustrated.    $1.50 

Liturgical  Prayer,  Its  History  and  Spirit,  by  Dom  fernand  cabrol,  o.S3. 

Octavo.    Cloth.    *$SSo  ,.  , .       _..    ,     i.    1 

In  this  current  revival  of  interest  in  Uturgical  hterature,  this  particular  book 

should  not  be  overlooked. 
Liturgy  of  the  Roman  Missal,  by  Dom  leduc  and  Dom  baudot,  o.s.b. 

The  chapters  are  quite  brief  and  offer  an  admirable  commentary  for  each 
Sunday  and  Feast  of  the  Church. 

Man's  Great  Concern,  The  Management  of  Lite,  by  ernest  r.  hull,  b.j. 
Cloth.    $1.25.    Paper  bound.    Retail  $0.50.    Wholesale  $0.40 

Rebuilding  a  Lost  Faith,  by  John  l.  stoddard.  Latest  edition,  printed  from 
new  dear  type,*  containing  an  exhaustive  Index  of  13  pages.  Octavo. 
Cloth.  $1.50.  Paper  bound.  $0.60.  Wholesale  $0.48 
One  of  the  finest  stories  of  conversion  ever  written.  The  author  was 
raised  a  Protestant,  lost  his  faith  and  regained  it  after  examining  the  claims 
of  the  CathoUc  Church.  Hundreds  of  thousands  have  read  this  engrossmg 
story  and  have  enjoyed  it  and  have  benefitted  by  it. 

Religion  and  Common  Sense,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper 

bound.     Retail  $0.50.     Wholesale  $0.40  .  ^  ,       ,.  .^ 

Father  Scott,  one  of  the  leading  apologetical  wnters  of  our  day,  hves  up  to 

his   reputation   by   these   clear,   convincing   papers    on    Personal    Liberty; 

Patriotism;  Marriage;  Birth  Control;  Capital  and  Labor,  and  other  topics. 

Study  of  the  Bible,  The,  by  l.  c.  f^lion,  s.s.    Demi-Octavo.    $3.00 

Father  FiUion  has  spent  years  in  scriptural  study  and  his  book  is  the  product 
of  an  unquestioned  authority.  Yet  he  does  not  wnte  m  a  dull  scholarly 
manner,  but  rather  in  a  sprighUy  and  Uvely  style.  For  pnests,  semmanans 
and  laymen. 

Things  Catholics  Are  Asked  About,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    Cloth.    $1.50. 
Paper  binding.    Retail  $0.50.    Wholesale ^40         ,  ..   u  ..      .u^^ 

CathoUcs  are  asked  about  everything  and  no  one  knows  it  better  than 
Father  Scott,  who  gives  clear  and  forceful  answers  to  many  questions  on 
Marriage  and  Annulment,  Church  and  State,  Is  There  a  HeU»  and  Tyranny 
in  Mexico  among  other  topics. 


Training  for  Lroc,  by  edward  f.  gareschi,  sj.    $2.00 
Teachers  and  parents  will  welcome  these  practical  counsels. 

Vesperal,  The.    Cloth.    Red  edges.    ^YiZ  6  inches.    *$3;00 
This  book  contains  the  Offices  of  Vespers  and  Compline  for  every  day  in 
the  year  with  a  pandlel  English  translation. 

Virgin  Birth,  The,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    $2.00 

A  convincing  refutation  to  many  modem  theories.  In  addition  to  this  im- 
portant topic,  Father  Scott  treats  of  the  Personality  of  Christ,  Evolution,  and 
other  up-to-date  questions. 

With  the  Church,  by  mother  loyola.    Two  volumes,  sold  separately.    Vol. 
/,  Advent  to  Ascension.     Vol.  Ih  Pentecost  to  Advent.     Each  volume 

The  theme  of  the  book  is  a  lucid  explanation  of  the  ecclesiastical  year. 


Textbooks  and  Books  of  Practical  Information 

American  Catholic  Hymnal,  The,  by  the  marist  brothers.     TForii  and 
Music.    Square  8vo.     *$i.5o.    Words  only.    i6mo.    Cloth.    *$o.6o 
Contains  about  450  separate  pieces  of  music  including  sacred  songs  and  LaUn 
chants,  Gregorian  masses,  vesper  psalms,  litanies,  etc. 

Art  of  Interesting,  The,  by  francis  p.  donnelly,  s.j.    $i.7S 

The  art  of  being  interesting  is  a  modem  social  and  business  asset.  Father 
Donnelly's  book  is  an  excellent  product  of  his  own  system.  Numerous  peo- 
ple have  found  this  book  invaluable. 

Chief  Catholic  Devotions,  The,  6y^«v.  LOUIS  BOUCARD.  ibmo.  Cloth.  *$i.25 
An  explanation  of  the  history  and  purpose  of  the  many  popular  devotions 
in  the  Church  and  the  best  way  of  deriving  full  benefit  from  them. 

Convent  Life,  by  martin  j.  scott,  sj.    Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper  binding.    Re- 
tail $0.50.    Wholesale  $040  ,.  .    ^  ..      .u  •  a 
Father  Scott  describes  the  various  orders  of  nuns,  their  duties,  their  rewards ; 
he  points  out  the  indications  and  qualities  of  a  vocation  and  the  happiness 
of  following  it. 

Democratic  Industry,  by  Joseph  husslein,  s.j.    $1.50 
The  author  gives  a  positive  doctrine  which   the   Church   advocates  as  a 
moral  and  economic  basis  for  the  just  relationship  between  employer  and 
employed.    A  valuable  and  worthy  book. 

Evolution  and  Social  Progress,  by  joseph  husslein,  s.j.    $1.50 
It  evades  no  difficulty  and  presents  all  the  facts. 

Externals  of  the  Catholic  Church,  The,  by  john  f.  suixivan,  dj).  Crown 
Octavo.  Cloth.  Numerous  Illustrations.  $2.00  ,^  ^  .  , 
This  is  a  valuable  encyclopedia  for  all  those  who  would  be  informed  con- 
cerning the  history  and  meaning  of  the  practices  embodied  in  the  Ritual 
of  the  Church,  her  Government,  Religious  Orders,  Ceremonies,  Festivals, 
Sacramentals  and  various  Devotions. 


Fundamentals  of  Catholic  Beuef,  The,  by  john  f.  suluvah,  dj>.    Crown 

Octavo.    Cloth.    $2.00  , .         ,      M-        •         _!.•    1  - 

ExplanaUons  of  the  principles  of  Cathohc  teachmg,  detaiUng,  m  parUcular, 
the  "whys  and  wherefores"  of  our  implicit  belief  in  them. 

Heavenwards,  by  mother  mart  loyola.    %2xyo 

Fifty-two  chaptere  all  replete  with  food  for  spmtual  thought. 

Home  for  Good,  by  mother  mary  loyola.    $2  00 
The  instructions  are  meant  to  cover  a  most  cnUcal  period  m  the  young 
girl's  life— namely,  the  years  following  her  departure  from  school. 

Mother's  Letters,  A,  by  Fr.  Alexander,  o.r.M.   ,*$i.2S 
A  book  every  mother  should  give  to  her  maturmg  daughter. 

My  Missal,  by  Rt.  Rev.  fernand  cabrol,  o.s.b.  sVa  inches  x  3^  inches.  H 
inch  thick.  368  pages.  Stiff  black  cover,  red  edges,  $.50.  leatherette,  red 
edges,  $.75.     American  seal,  fiexibU,  gold  edges,  $2.00.     Real  Morouo, 

flexible,  gold  edges,  $3  00.  .    •     ,  r     *    •     v^»M.^y 

A  new  explanatory  missal  for  Sundays  and  pnncipal  feasts  in  English. 

New  Guide  to  the  Holy  Land,  by  Rev.  barnabas  meistermajjn.  i6mo. 
Cloth.    *$4.oo.    Illustrated  with  over  100  engraved  plans  and  colored  maps 

Religio  Rxligiosi,  by  cardinal  gasquet.    *$i.6s 
This  book  states  the  object  and  scope  of  the  Rehgious  Life. 

Religious  Life,  The,  by  bede  jarrett,  o.p.    *$i.8s 
A  competent  book  on  an  important  topic. 

Roman  Missal,  The,  by  dom  fernand  cabrol,  05.b.    4  inches  x  6%  inches, 
i/i  inch  thick.     1463  pages.    Black  cloth,  red  edges,  $3.50.     Black  cloth, 
gold  edges,  $4.00.     American  seal,  gold  edges,  $5  00.     American  seal,  red 
edges,  $5.00.     Real  morocco,  limp,  gold  edges,  $6.00       .  ,    ^  ^    ,  ,      , 
A  complete  translation  of  the  Missale  Romanum.     The  deft  Cabrol  touch 
has  made  this  book  the  outstanding  Latin-English  Missal.     It  contams  all 
the  Masses  for  every  day  in  the  ecclesiastical  year  and  necessary  supple- 
mentary matter  such  as  various  Masses  for  the  Dead,  Votive  Mas:^,  Occa- 
sional  Prayers,  and  a  supplement  for  North   America   and   the   Rehgious 
congregations. 
Student's  Edition,  ♦*$2.oo.    Five  or  more,  $1.60  each. 

Spiritism  and  Common  Sense,  by  c.  m.  de  heredia,  s.j.    $2.00 
An  interesting  account  of  the  tricks,  frauds  and  natural  means  enaployed  by 
the  majority  of  mediums,  as  well  as  a  discussion  of  the  possible  super- 
natural element,  by  a  well-known  Jesuit. 

Teacher's  Year,  The,  by  charles  phillips.    $i.7S 

A  series  of  brilliant  essays  on  the  fundamentals  of  teaching. 

Teens  and  Twenties,  by  mary  d.  chambers.    Cloth.    Boxed.    $1.50 

A  book  for  the  culture  of  girls  at  home,  at  work  and  in  social  Ufe,  treatmg 
on  good  manners  and  the  development  of  personality. 

Visible  Church,  The,  by  john  f.  sullivan,  d.d.     Numerous  iUustrations. 

It  embodies  a  fairly  complete  and  detailed  explanaUon  and  history  of  all 
that  makes  our  Church  a  Visible  Church.  An  excellent  supplement,  to  the 
catechism. 


ill 


Way  or  Youth,  The,  by  Fr.  Alexander,  oj^.    ♦$i.3S 
A  manly  appeal  to  our  young  men  to  use  their  religion  as  it  is  meant  to  be 
used,  not  to  make  them  more  effeminate,  but  immeasurably  more  replete 
with  moral  strength  than  their  fellows. 

When,  Whom  and  How  to  Marry,  by  c.  mc  neiry,  c.ss.r.  24mo.  Cloth.  *7sc 
A  brief  resume  of  Church  regulations  and  ceremonies.  Sensible  advice  and 
counsel  for  those  contemplating  marriage  by  one  with  wide  experience  among 
all  classes. 

World  Problem,  The,  by  Joseph  husslein,  s.j.    $1.50 
Believing  that  the  Catholic  doctrine  is  the  only  adequate  solution  of  the 
sociological  problems  confronting  us,  Father  Husslein  has  given  us  an  excel- 
lent book  which  the  layman  can  read  and  enjoy  and  help  himself  to  answer 
intelligently  any  questions  on  this  important  topic. 

You  and  Yours,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    Cloth.    $1.50.    Paper  bound.    Re* 
tail  $0.50.     Wholesale  $0.40 
Fifteen  business-like  chapters  of  virile  counsel  and  interesting  information 
for  eveiy  member  of  the  family — son,  daughter,  mother  and  father. 


Novels  and  Stories 

Ambition's  Contest,  by  Christine  faber.    $2.00 
A  remarkable  tale  concerning  the  older  New  York  of  the  fifties,  and  because 
of  the  contest  it  depicts  between  the  ambitions  of  a  budding  statesman  and 
the  Faith  which  calls  him  to  the  priesthood. 

At  the  Sign  of  the  Silver  Cup,  by  helen  atteridge.    $2.00 
The  captivating  love-story  of  Luke  Furrow,  an  apprentice,  and  Meg  Buckle, 
the  only  child  of  a  silversmith;  whose  young  Uves  become  entangled  with 
persons  and  events  of  momentous  importance  to  Church  and  State  in  the 
stirring  days  of  Charles  II,  of  England. 

By  the  King's  Command,  A  Romance  of  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  by  mary  brab- 
son  LITTLETON.     Large  i2mo.     Cloth.    $2.00 
With  glorious  sixteenth  century  Spain  as  a  background,  Mrs.  Littleton  has 
given  us  a  colorful,  thrilling  story  of  the  romance  of  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  the 
famous  Spanish  explorer,  and  Ysabel  de  Bobadilla. 

By  What  Authority?  by  Msgr.  Robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 
Monsignor  Benson's  classic  story  of  Cathohc  persecution  under  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, herself  a  leading  figure  in  the  development  of  the  plot. 

Callista,  by  cardinal  newman.    $1.50 
In  this  bit  of  intense  fiction  the  famous  Cardinal  gives  us  the  benefit  of  his 
broad  historical   knowledge   by  making   Christians  and  heathens  live   and 
act  before  us  in  the  critical  days  of  struggling  third  century  Christianity. 

Cardome,  by  anna  c.  minogue.    $1.50 
A  romantic  and  thriUing  story  of  Kentucky  during  the  Civil  War. 

Carroll  O'Donoghue,  by  Christine  faber.    $2.00 
A  tale  of  Irish  Struggles  in  1866  and  penal  servitude  in  Australia. 

Chivalrous  Deed,  A,  by  Christine  faber.    $2.00 
The  book  is  as  crowded  as  any  of  the  New  York  tenements  it  describes. 


Come  Rack!   Come  Rope!  by  Msgr.  robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 
With  these  words  on  his  lips,  the  saintly  Father  Campion  went  to  mart3rrdom 
in  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth.    This  historical  romance  was  welcomed  as 
the  best  of  Msgr.  Benson's. 

Ebpiritu  Santo,  by  Henrietta  dana  skinner.    $1.25 
The  "story  of  a  love  faithful  unto  death." 

Fabiola  (Large  Type  Edition),  by  cardinal  wiseman.    $1.25 
A  classic  which  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  Christian. 

Greenway,  The,  by  leslie  moore.    ♦$i.7S  , 

The  Greenway  is  a  tapestry  of  kindness,  dehcacy,  tactfulness,  poetry,  ana 
manly  and  womanly  piety,  cleverly  woven  with  rare  literary  grace. 

Her  Irish  Heritage,  by  annie  m.  p.  smithson.    *$i.7S      .  . 

A  beautiful,  healthy  story  written  about  Dublin  life  as  it  really  is. 

Hill  of  Triumph,  The.    A  Story  of  Jerusalem  m  the  Time  of  Christ,  by  Rev. 
LEO  murphy.     Large  i2mo.     Cloth.     $2.00  .  ,  ,.  . 

This  engrossing  novel  involves  the  fortunes  of  a  young  Roman  girl  Uvmg 
in  Jerusalem  in  the  days  when  the  doctrines  of  Christ  were  a  source  of 
intense  love  or  vicious  hate. 

Ibtitiation,  by  Msgr.  robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 

It  is  a  study  in  psychology,  both  natural  and  religious,— a  story  so  masterly 
and  minute  in  its  delineation  that  we  read  with  devouring  interest;  and  as 
we  read  we  are  impressed  with  the  truth  that  suffering  is  not  all  loss,  but 
can  be,  and  is  meant  to  be,  happy  in  its  tremendous  results. 

Jacqueline,  by  john  ayscough.    $2.00  ,    ^        * 

The  story  of  a  young  girl  who  is  tried,  tested,  and  proven— but  a  story 
told  as  John  Ayscough  alone  can  tell  it.  In  no  volume  has  he  shown  more 
insight  into  character  or  written  more  exquisite  English. 

King's  Achievement,  The,  by  Msgr.  robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 
A  stirring  ,historical  novel  by  Msgr.  Benson  with  the  action  of  its  story  m 
the  reign  of  Henry  VIH. 

Loneliness?  by  Msgr.  robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 
The  central  theme  of  this  unusual  novel  is  not  unlike  that  of  Francis  Tnomi>- 
son's  poem.  The  Hound  of  Heaven.    The  human  being  attempts  to  escape 
from   Divinity  in   the   mazes  of   worldly  deUght,   but   Divmity  urresisUbly 
pursues. 

Loyalist,  The,  by  Rev.  james  francis  barrett.    A  Story  of  the  American 

Revolution.     $2.00  .  j  .         1.     •     •       *         j 

This  swiftly  moving  novel  will  keep  you  interested  from  begmmng  to  end. 
It  concerns  the  fortunes  of  several  CathoUc  families  who  showed  their  un- 
doubted loyalty  to  the  Colonies  during  those  dangerous  times. 

Moondyne  Joe,  by  john  boyle  o'reilly.    $1.50  .    r  ^v 

A  thrilling  story  of  heroism,  bravery  and  adventure  in  which  most  of  the 
action  takes  place  in  the  Penal  Prisons  in  AustraUa,  to  which  Moondyne  Joe 
has  been  condemned  for  political  activity,  and  from  which  he  forces  his 
escape  through  a  series  of  dare-de\il  adventures. 

Mother's  Sacrifice,  A,  by  Christine  faber.    $2.00      ^ 
The  story  of  the  trials  of  a  widow,  whose  only  son  is  innocently  accused  ot 
murdering  an  enemy  of  her  family. 


Oddfish!  by  Msgr.  Robert  hugh  benson.    $1.25 
A  brilliant  novel  dealing  with  the  time  of  Charles  II  of  England. 

Peacock  Feather,  The,  by  Leslie  moore.    *$i.7S 
The  story  of  the  wanderings  of  Peter  Garden,  an  author  turned  vagabond, 
and  of  Democritus,  his  canine  companion,  is  one  you  will  thoroughly  enjoy. 

Rid  Ascent,  The,  by  esther  w.  neill.    $1.25 
This  story  concerns  the  struggles  of  a  young  seminarian  who  was  forced  to 
return  to  his  southern  home  in  order  to  support  his  aging  father  and  shal- 
low sister.     This  book  is  noted  for  its  human  characters  and  its  bright 
dialogue. 

Red  Circle,  The,  by  gerard  m.  Reynolds.    $1.25 

Action  of  a  most  startling  variety,  inaugurated  by  the  Red  Circle,  a  Chinese 
"murder-club"  whose  particular  reason  for  being  lay  in  stamping  out  all 
Christians  in  China. 

Rosemary:  or  Life  and  Death,  by  Dr.  j.  vincent  hxjntington.    $1.50 
This  mystery-romance  has  established  its  popularity  with  Catholic  readers. 

Story  of  Sir  Charles  Vereker,  The,  by  jessie  a,  gaughan.  Cloth.  $2.00 
Sir  Charles  is  a  young  officer  under  Cromwell  during  the  bloody  Civil  War 
in  England  and  the  subsequent  invasion  of  Ireland.  The  war  tore  him  from 
the  side  of  his  Irish  sweetheart,  Madeline  O'Brien.  How  he  made  heroic 
attempts  to  see  her  and  the  dramatic  manner  in  which  they  met  after  seven 
years  makes  an  absorbing,  lively  narrative. 

Tears  on  the  Diadem,  by  Mrs.  anna  h.  dorsey.    $1.25 
A  brilliant  and  entertaining  novel  of  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth  with  a 
fascinating  account  of  Her  Majesty's  inner  life. 

To  the  Dark  Tower,  by  mark  s.  gross,  s.j.    $2.00 
"This  author  can  make  you  forget  your  bed-time,  irrespective  of  what  side 
of  fifty  you  may  happen  to  be, — his  style  is  admirable." — {America.) 
A  story  of  Romance,  Chivalry  and  Adventure. 

Town  Landing,  The,  by  mabel  farnum.    $1.50 
The  touching  story  of  a  young  business  girl  who  through  tribulation  finally 
wins  perfect  peace  for  herself,  and  hght  and  happiness  for  those  dear  to  her. 

Waters  of  Contradiction,  The,  by  anna  c.  minogue.    $1.50 
A  story  of  the  South  and  Southerners  built  around  a  conflict  of  wills  and 
very  entertainingly  told. 

When  the  Moon  Became  a  Chinaman,  by  milton  mc  govern.    $1.75 
A  book  of  twelve  stories  built  around  the  virtues  of   faith,  charity  and 
service  and  with  the  dramatic  values  of  each  well  developed. 

Winter  of  Discontent,  The,  by  Rev.  james  francis  barrett.     $2.00 
The  author  has  a  deep  understanding  of  the  "jazz"  conditions  of  the  present 
day  with  all  their  attendant  laxities  and  evils,  one  of  the  greatest  of  which, — 
divorce, — he  takes  for  his  theme. 


Juveniles 

BoT  Knight,  A,  by  martin  j.  scott,  s.j.    $1.50 
The  thrilling  story  of  a  boys'  club  with  two  heroes  that  you  will  be  glad 
to  introduce  to  any  lively  boy. 


Drops  of  Honey,  by  Rev.  a.  m.  grtjssi.    i6mo.    Cloth.    $1.00 
Fifty  short  stories,  drawing  beautiful  lessons  from  everyday  incidents. 

FIRST  Christmas,  The,  6y  THOMAS  A.  donoghxje,  S.J.    Retail  ^.2$.    Size  tug. 
Nine  illustrations  in  color. 
A  story-poem  for  children  on  the  birtti  of  our  Lord,  possessing  the  same 
rhythmic  style  as  the  ever-popular  "  Twas  the  Night  Before  Christmas." 

God's  Book  of  the  Holy  Child,  by  marie  st.  s.  ellerker,  o.s.d.    Illustrated. 
i6mo.     Boards.     *$i.oo 
The  author  of  this  volume  has  gathered  from  the  Bible  a  number  of  refer- 
ences to  the  Holy  Child  Jesus  and  has  woven  them  into  beautiful  stories. 

King  of  the  Golden  City,  The,  by  mother  mary  loyola.     Size  8^/^  x  11. 

Cloth  bound.     Decorative  borders  on  every  page.     Eight  illustrations  in 

color.    Each  copy  in  a  box.    $2.50 

A   beautiful   and   imaginative   story   about    the    Blessed    Sacrament    which 

children  thoroughly  enjoy. 

School  Edition,  Size  6x8,  Cardboard  cover.     No  illustrations.     Net  $.50. 

Lisbeth,  by  mary  t.  waggaman.    Cloth.    $1.25 

A  universally  popular  First  Communion  story,  the  heroine  of  which  is  a 
little  girl  whom  all  children  will  love. 

Living  Temples,  by  bede  jarrett,  o.p.    *$i.oo 
Here  is  a  well  chosen,  instructive  series  of  short  essays  for  young  boys 
designed  to  encourage  them  in  the  practice  of  the  virtues. 

Lost  in  the  Arctic,  by  j.  svensson,  s.j.    Translated  by  m.  bodkin,  s.j.    Cloth 
cover,  7%  x  g}i.    Illustrated.    $1.00 
This  is  a  most  unusual  story  that  will  interest  almost  any  boy  or  girl  be- 
tween the  ages  of  four  and  ten.    It  recites  the  experiences  of  two  Greenland 
boys  whose  home  was  in  a  small  town  on  the  seacoast. 

Paul  Hart  Comes  Tnitouon,  by  bernari^  7?.  j,  dooley.    $1.50 
A  boys*  college  story  set  lnii\e  sturdy' Ns^  Xn^laiud  hills. 

Prairie  Boy,  The,  by  Rev.  john  talbot  smith.     i6mo.    Cloth.    $1.00 
In  the  description  0/  c^mpii.g  OMt  ;and  ^e  methods  of  settling  the  question 
of  leadership  among  boyn.  .he  author  shows  krowieJge  of  human  nature. 

Scouting  for  Secret  Service,  by  Bernard  f.  j.  dooley.    $1.25 
Two  hundred  and  fiftz-nins  ps-fcs  cf  thrills  ;jpd  jidventure. 

Sophie's  Troubles,  6y  t.\  ^i^tes^e  d?  6EG^     ESfty  Illustrations.     i6mo. 
Cloth.     $1.00  •    >    '     . 

A  story  of  the  many  trials  of  a  little  girt  and  asserted  by  the  author  to  be 
true.    This  is  an  excellent  book  for  young  children. 

Story  of  Oswald  Page,  The,  by  Lieut,  edwin  a.  flynn.  Chaplain,  U.  S.  A. 

$100 
From  the  coming  of  Oswald  Page,  a  boy  from  Arizona,  to  the  eastern  board- 
ing school,  in  which  he  expects  and  demands  to  be  "made  over"  into  a  real 
boy,  we  follow  him  through  many  and  curious  adventures. 

White  Birch  Mystery,  The,  by  michael  simko.  $i.7S 
A  train  wreck,  a  search  for  a  hidden  treasure,  a  fight  on  a  motor  boat,  an 
automobile  accident,  a  football  game  with  the  bully  of  the  neighborhood  on 
the  opposing'  team,  the  first  "job"  in  a  newspaper  office,— these  are  a  few 
J  of  the  outstanding  incidents  m  this  remarkably  interesting  and  exating  story 
for  boys  and  girls  alike. 


Poetry  and  Essays 

Archbishop's  Pocket-boox,  The,  by  Rev.  Herman  j.  heuser,  d.d.  $3xk> 
A  series  of  delightful  papers  on  parish  administration,  tramps,  diocesan  news- 
papers, vicars-general,  Uniate  Greeks,  chaplains,  inefficient  sextons  and  many 
other  humorous  and  serious  subjects  of  interest  to  priests  and  the  educated 
laity. 

Chafe  and  Wheat,  by  franos  p.  donneixy,  sj.    itmo.    Cloth.    $1.25 
A  collection  of  brief  essays  written  in  a  lively  epigrammatic  style,  in  which 
everyday  philosophy  is  blended  with  everyday  religion. 

Father  Ryan*s  Poems,  by  Rev.  abram  j.  ryan  {The  Poet-Priest  of  the  South). 
Illustrated.    $2.50 
Always  a  favorite.    Contains  The  Conqr^-'d  Banner. 

Hand  of  Mercy,  The,  by  Rev.  richard  w.  Alexander.    $1.50 
These  narratives  are  one  and  all,  a  true  report  of  the  steps  and  the  processes 
of  thought  leading  to  reception  into  the  Church. 

Literary  Art  and  Modern  Education,  by  francis  p.  donneixy,  s.j.    Cloth. 
$1-75 
In  thirty  chapters  he  discusses  such  live  topics  as  trade  schools,  mental  tests, 
vocationalism,  liberal  education,  proper  teaching  of  art,  science  and  literature. 

Little  Cords,  by  francis  p.  donnelly,  s.j.    i6mo.    Cloth.    $1.25 
Another  enjoyable  collection  of  Father  Donnelly's  sketches  on  the  foibles 
and  failings  of  man,  written  in  his  inimitably  pithy  style. 

Missionary's  Note  Book,  A,  by  Rev.  richard  Alexander.    $1.50 
Told  in  the  guise  of  fiction,  we  are  amazed  to   discover  that  all  these 
tales  are  true. 

Mustard  Seed,  by  francis  p.  donnelly,  s.j.     i6mo     Cloth.    $1.25 
That  he  knows  what  is  <thc-^IJ;^r  wi'^h  us  Is  evident,  for  on  reading  his 
caricatures  we  perceive  curse^vt^.     He  reveals  our  faults  and  bad  habits, 
but  not  cruelly;  he  makes  fan  Of  us  and  suggests  the  remedy. 

Poems  of  St.  Therese. op  Tips' Chud*  Jkfes#  \'Prak^aied  by  the  ormslitb 

NUNS  of  SANTA  CLASA.      *S3;iS  *  **'.''*'»'*' 

Prayer  and  Intelligence,  by  jacques  and  raissa  maritain.    Translated  by 
ALGAR  thorold.    ClotL    i^mo.    *$cJ.75  .• ",    ; 


• .  • 


Romance  of  a  Priest,  Ti^e,  l?y\RJ^.  Reu.  lis^t  paul'a.  kelly.    i2mo.    Cloth, 
gilt  jacket.    $1.75 
In  this  prose-poem,  Monsignor  Kelly  gives  us  the  story  of  the  love  of  a  priest 
for  his  God. 

Shepherd  My  Thoughts.    The  Verses  of  Frances  p.  donnelly,  s.j.     i6mo. 
Cloth.     $1.25 
A  collection  of  poems  that  will  make  friends  for  the  quiet  hours. 

St.  Dismas  and  Other  Legends  in  Rhtmb.    Edited  by  enid  dinnis.    lamo. 
Cloth.    *$i.2S 


il;«K 


NIVERSITY  LIBRA... 

n    '         fr  --dicated  b^y,.w, />r 


DUE  DATE 


g-JAM^iellBBi 


SJ^ 


VJ^ 


201-6503 


Printed 
in  USA 


